Happy Birthday Gab!

Every time I hear "Haaappy Birthdaaee" I think of Frosty the Snowman. I don't know why. I'm weird.

Today is my little Gabriella Moana's birthday. She turns the big 7 today. She has been in countdown mode since Christmas, so this is a very special day for her, indeed! Last night I was lucky enough to have a special "mommy and daughter date" with her. She received some birthday money from her Nana and wanted to buy a pressie. She also wanted to choose her own birthday cake this year. So, after dinner we went shopping for her loot and her sweets. We had a really great time together and it was nice to be able to focus on just her. We even snuck a little treat of dippin' dots after we were finished. The perfect way to end a date! :)

We met her when she was just 5 years old. It seems now, however, that we have always known her and she has always been our daughter. We are blessed to have her spirit in our forever family. We kept her birth name of Gabriella and gave her a Maori middle name of Moana. It means "the sea". It fits her perfectly. She is calm as the sea, but can turn tumultuous and angry ...she is always able to return to her calm state quickly however.

So I think I'll post 7 things I love about Gabby. :D
1. I love her spirit. I love that she can be feisty and knows what she wants.
2. I love her hugs. Her hugs make me feel like a mom. Her Mom.
3. I love her snaggle tooth grin!









4. I love what a great sister she is. She takes care of her little sister and tries hard to be a good little sister herself. She loves her siblings very much.
5.I love her sense of humor! She loves making people laugh and always cracks me up.
6.I love her sense of adventure. She is not scared to try new things or to do hard things.
7. I love hearing her sing. Gab even sings when she reads books. She turns everything into a song and I love hearing her happy voice.

Happy Birthday Gabbalella! I love you muchly!

A Funny and A Shout Out

Okay, so I really am trying to put together a deep, meaningful post. It's just not coming quickly. I blame the blockage on the fact that I am sleep deprived in the worst way. I have to share a couple of funnies that happened last week.
It was early in the morning and I was trying to get all 5 of my mongrels up and ready for school. I was doing the girls' hair in the back room. C (my 9yr old) was trying to help me out by getting Bug some breakfast. She's a real firecracker any time of the day, but mornings are especially a doozie for her. He got her brekkie and she was whining about how much or how little he had poured. He got annoyed. She got more annoyed. He didn't let her pour the milk because it was too full and she couldn't carry it. She is quite the self-reliant snot and this pushed her even closer to the edge. He put the milk away and told her that she could bless it herself. What!? The nerve! This pushed her completely over the edge at full throttle. She wanted him to bless her food. He was mad at her and refused. Suddenly I hear the beautiful sound of "thump thump thump Moommmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyy"
He relayed the story to me with Bug right behind whimpering away. I told her that she could bless her own food. She asked me to go in the kitchen to bless it. (I was annoyed too at this point) I told her that I had to finish the girls' hair and she had to do it herself. She was a big girl and gave the best prayers on the food. You would have thought I poked her in the eye with the comb or something. She hooted and hollered and whined and oh my!
She sulked back to the kitchen, got up on her stool, and this is what I heard:
"waaaah ahhhhh ahhhh Dear Heavenly Father Boooooohooooooooo Waaaaaaaaah Please bless my food AHHHHHWAAAAAAAAAH AHHHHHHH Please bless Daddy's knee to feel better BOOOOOOHOOOO *sniff sniff* waaaah Please bless Mommy to feel better too. WWWWaaaahhHHHH Please help us have a good day WaaahhhhhhBooooooohooooo in the name Jesus Christ, Amen. waah *Sniff sniff*
****Silence********

I.have never laughed so hard. I wish I could do audio or I would have recorded it, because I would definitely be shaking hands with Tom Burgeron and graciously accepting that big fat cardboard check.



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And on a completely different note. I have been reading a blog for a while, Pulsipher's Predictions. Her name is Kristina and I have never ever met her face to face. (however one day....through much stalking and heavy breathing phone calls, i just might!) She lives here in Utah and blogs about so many different things. She has an amazing wit and makes me literally "lol" each time I read her blog. I look forward to her posts. She's not even having a giveaway or anything! :P I just wanted to let everyone in on, what I think, is a great read.

Also, a friend of hers at Moss Mayhem is doing kits for Haiti right now though, so if you want to help out that way visit her blog here.

Anyway, I'm off to see what kind of trouble I can get into with a 4 yr old. The possibilities are END.LESS.
:)

Here's to a Happy New Year and a mini Year in Review

This year has been filled with many ups and downs. We've had some truly great blessings and we've had heart-wrenching tragedy. I told Cary last night that I always get really sad after Christmas, when it is all over. I don't know why, but I have been that way since I was a young girl. I love the feeling of Christmas and I love the whole month of December. As we approach the new year, I do so with some sadness, some anticipation, some joy, and with much love for my whanau.
We started off January with the purchase of a new *cough* mini-van. I never thought I would love driving one of those little family mobiles, however I DO! Call me crazy, call me a dork. I'm sure I have been called much worse. I'm grateful for our van and I'm grateful we have been blessed with it.
I don't remember much happening in February. That has to be a good thing, right?
March held Gabby's 6th birthday and my 9 year anniversary.
In April Bug turned the big 4 and their biological sister left our home to live with her former foster parents. There were so many mixed emotions about the whole situation, but we knew that it was the best thing for her, for the girls, and for us.
Gabby ended her kindergarten career in May and was so proud of herself. She went from being 2-3 levels behind the other kids, to right out in the forefront. We are so proud of our little Gabbalella. We also found out in May that our "former kids", whom we had for six months the previous year, were back into foster care and they, the state, wanted to place them with us again.
5 kids, are you crazy?!
Yes, Please.
After much prayer and much worry and some hard work on the end of our RFC and caseworker, the kids were placed with us in June.
What.a.busy.time.
July sped by with many trips to the pool and tons of late days at the parks. It was a busy summer, but it turned out to be a lot of fun.
August ended with all five kids starting school. Bug started a new preschool and she has been excelling! She, too, has come such a long way since they were placed with us 1 year and 3 months ago.
September was a fantastic month! I turned 31 *sob cry sob* and I share my birthday *day* with one of my boys. He turned 11 and was quite proud to do so. September was the month that we were able to adopt Gabriella Moana and Keeleigh Beonna. They became, officially, our daughters. My dad shared this incredibly special day with us and helped lighten the mood for me on the way up to Salt Lake City. Cary drove with his Mum in the front beside him and I rode in the middle, next to my Dad. I look back at that drive, and that whole day, with so much more joy than I thought I was experiencing that day. I remember after the legalities were out of the way and we were walking back to the van. We had just stepped out of the elevator and were in the underground parking. I clung to my dad in a big bear hug and said, "Well it's official now Grandpa! I am so glad that you came with us today! I love you Dad!" With tears welling up in his eyes, he hugged me tight and told me how much he loved me, the girls, and Cary. He spoke of how proud he was of us.
And, if you will allow, I would like to leave the rest of that memory sacred in my heart. It was a very special day indeed.
October was the best, worst, happiest, saddest month of my life. Our whanau became forever as we were sealed for time and all eternity in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple in American Fork. Days later, my dad left this mortal world to rest for a while with whanau who were waiting to welcome him. As the tears run down my face now, I think of how much I miss him and how much I wish he could have stayed longer. Not for him, mind you, but for me. I have said before that I would do many things differently. That is still the case. I love him and I know he knows that. I miss him dearly. Every.Day.
November came and we buried my Dad. Thanksgiving came and we had a relatively quiet day. My younger boy asked me if we could have a Thanksgiving like in the movies, and we did. It warmed my heart to see their jaws drop, literally, as we came together to thank Heavenly Father for all that we have and to eat.eat.eat. :)
December has been a pretty good month. We have been able to do so many things as a family and have so much fun. We were blessed beyond measure at Christmas. It was a beautiful day filled with fun pressies, much love, and a wonderful whanau. All of the kids were blessed with toys and treasures that they have been itching to have. Cary and I were blessed with much, much more.
Today is the end of 2009 and I can't say that I am sad to see the year go. I'm looking forward to a fresh new year. We have many more changes that are upcoming. I'll keep you posted.
I'm not going to do a resolution list. I have many changes, however, that I am going to make and I will keep you informed on how they go and what they are. :) I am going to do one each month and will share them here.
I hope that this year brings each of you much love, much peace, and much happiness.
I'll close with my testimony. It seems only fitting.
I love my family. I love my husband with all of my heart. He has been my rock for me this year, through joy and sadness. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for the sacrifice that He made for me. I know He loves me too. I'm grateful for the Gospel. I know that it is true. I am grateful for my ward family, for my bishopric, and for the Anderton Family, especially. I am grateful that I belong to the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know this is the true church and I know that Joseph Smith restored the Gospel. I know that President Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet of God. I have a testimony of prayer. I know our prayers are answered. I have a testimony of tithing. I know we will be blessed if we keep the law of tithing.
I KNOW Families can be together Forever and I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who allows it to be so.
Things things I know and say in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

A Gardner Village Experience

This will be a short post compared to the novel I just wrote. I had to write a few lines and throw a few photos up, mainly so that I don't get any phone calls or emails from worried friends and families thinking that I have either A.lost my mind or B.suffer from a horrible case of Depression and/or psychotic episodes.


I have some good friends. I have a couple of gals whom I am pretty close to that have dubbed themselves (and me too, i guess) the Wonder Women. I think each of them are amazing, wonderful, women and I love them dearly.

We decided to take a girl's trip to Gardner Village in some city in Utah. I don't know exactly where it is, really does it matter? We made a day out of it and went to Archibald's for dinner. We were almost asked to leave by some very posh older ladies who quite frankly didn't appreciate our humor or Heidi pretending to grab my boobies.
Seriously, who wouldn't like to watch a little girl on girl action in the middle of a bunch of elderly hoighty-toighty (that is *SO* a word that I use!) folks.

I needed a break from the day to day grind and I truly needed some giggles.
Mission. Accomplished.

We made a day of it and hit all the old lady craft stores and I was able to find some good deals. :)
Here are just a few of the photos from that day!

A post! Huzzah!

I haven't written in A. While.! The days seem to be zooming by faster and faster and I am barely getting into bed before I have to get out of it again. I wish time would go slower. My "baby" will be five in April and that is all she can talk about. Cary and I are trying to convince her to stay four forever, but she is having NONE of it. Stinkin' kid.
It's Sunday today and although Sundays are still quite hard for me, it is turning out to be a pretty good day. Next Sunday will be 2 months since my Dad has passed away and it has definitely been a very difficult two months. I still miss him every.single.day. Bug often talks about him and still asks "why poppie went to Heaven". I still don't have the answers for her.
A couple of weeks ago, right about the time we were pummeled with a huge snow fall, I decided it was time to go out and visit with my Dad at the grave site. I wanted to go alone, stay out there by myself for a while, but my darling husband wouldn't hear of it. He wanted to be there for me, physically and emotionally. In all honestly, I did need him there and was grateful he decided to go for me. :) He has known what I need, even when I don't (or won't) tell him.
We took all of our little childrens out to the cemetery, all bundled up, in the snow, to visit with my Dad. His birthday was December 14th and I had made him a couple of things with which to decorate. It was therapeutic for me to make something for him and know that he would be pleased with it. We went out and searched for him. Keep in mind it was covered with about a foot or two of snow at the time. We found him, somehow, and I gave him his gifts. I sat and talked with him for a good long while and told him some things that I felt like I needed to tell him. Things I wished with all of my heart that I would have told him while he was still here with me. I cried. Cary cried. My kids cried. It was a very emotional day. It also helped me quite a bit. I'm going to share some things that you might find completely insane, but they happened and think of it what you will. This is my *journal* and I need to write it down to remember it. Perhaps one day my kids will read it and think I'm a nut too. :) who knows!
To preface this I will say that since my Dad passed away, I haven't had an "experience" with him. I hadn't really felt his presence, which was somewhat of a relief while cleaning out his apartment, and some somewhat of a disappointment because I desperately wanted to feel a connection to him still. While at the cemetery, I pleaded with him to know and understand how much I love him and how sorry I am for not being the best daughter I could have been to him always. I still very much regret that. I also asked him to come and visit me to let me know that he is watching out for us and he is still very much aware of what is going on with us. I want him to know how much I love him and how much his grand-babies love him.
So, that was that. I left feeling a bit better. A good cry usually does that to a person, no?
A couple of days later I was getting ready for bed. I was sitting in the living room with nothing on except for the Christmas tree lights. I really like sitting in the dark silence watching the lights twinkle and a couple of special ornaments sparkle and dance in the light. I have a fatso cat named Marty. She's about 9 years old and acts as though she rules the roost around here. I threatened to give her to my Dad several times, but he didn't want to clean up after kitty cats. (understandably so)
She started acting really weird. She was pacing around the top of the stairs, staring down them, watching the door, meowing. I talked to her for a minute, but it didn't seem to help her feel better. I then thought to myself, I wonder! I wonder if my Dad is here! I kind of got the big eyes and brushed it off and went to bed, leaving Marty out here to visit with my Dad, if it was him. :)
A couple of days after that I was in the pantry fumbling around, trying to get things ready for the kids to go to school. It was early and I was tired. All of the sudden, I heard my Dad talking, saying something. To me? I'm not sure. I couldn't really understand his words and honestly I was a bit freaked out. I was trying to figure out who was talking and what exactly they were saying. I thought immediately to myself that it was my Dad and he was there. I don't know if it was my mind playing tricks on me, or if I was wanting to hear something so much that I did. Not sure. But, I did hear it.
When I told Cary about it later I got really emotional. He says that our loved ones don't visit with us to freak us out and they don't come around for no good reason. They will come and comfort us. I am comforted. Sundays are easier. I am healing. I *almost* don't cry when someone asks me how I am doing now. :) HUGE. Improvement. !

We will make it. We will never forget him. We will never stop loving him. That's the way it should be, No?

Happy Birthday Dad. Merry Christmas Daddy-o. Love you.

Some Family Time, Some Service, Some Giggles....

Last week at our FHE we talked about service and King Benjamin. We talked about how many people have helped us over these past couple of weeks, from everything to food to taking our garbage out, and everything in between.
We want our kids to know how good it feels to give service as well. Even the smallest act of service can be gratefully received.
So, we drew names out of a hat and did a secret service mission. No one was *supposed* to tell who they got and they had to do at least one act of service for that person during the week. We would all tell who we got and what we did for that person on the next FHE, tonight.
The kids really got into it and enjoyed it. They know how blessed we have been by good friends and whanau and so they said it felt good to do something nice for someone else.
This is definitely something we are going to keep doing. It's fun and easy and makes them think of someone besides themselves.

Cary and I had respite this weekend, which means that one of our dear friends watched all five of our kids for us from Friday night until Sunday afternoon. What a blessing! We really needed some quiet time to finish up some business for my dad and I had to go through funeral photos to send back to the family back East. The kids have seen me cry enough for a year or so at least.
It was good to have hubz and wifey time, but we did miss our kidlets.
The first thing my 8 yr old girl did was come in and say, "OH I MISSED YOU SO VERY MUCH!!" :) happiness in my heart!

Bug keeps telling us that she missed us so much while she was gone and asks if we cried a little because we didn't get to see her. Such a stinking cute little mongrel.
We watched UP last night as a family and it was a really cute movie. Started out pretty sucky for me, but it got better. :)

Back to the other story:
So, tonight after we had talked about our secret service missions we decided that everyone earned an extra special treat. We took all the kiddos out to Smart Cookie and had cookies and milk. Yummo! I had 5 free coupons good for 2 cookies and a milk. I think I had to pay $1 for two extra milks. What a deal! The kids loved it and it was good to get out and have some fun.
We got home and got the little girls off to bed and finished up homework with the older kids. My 9 yr old comes to me and says, "Oh I'm so constipated!"
Ew.
I had some medicine that I got for Bug when she couldn't poop, so I gave him some of it tonight. He was very leery and didn't know if he should take it. He kept asking what it would do to him and if he would be ok. Cary got pretty tired of this pretty quickly and said, "Boy! You're not going to crap your brains out!"
could. not. stop. laughing.
He was so worried and got so serious suddenly, which made me laugh even harder. We then had several fart/poop jokes, which I don't usually laugh at but tonight I couldn't help myself. It was good to laugh again with my boys.
So, that was our night. One of my boys went to bed afraid he was going to poo himself in his sleep and the other one went to bed hoping the other would so he could make fun of him.
I'm off to bed now too, morning comes so quickly.
stinking spinning earth.

THE NAULU TRIBE: Gift of Giving Contest begins

THE NAULU TRIBE: Gift of Giving Contest begins

Devri is doing an amazing thing on her blog.
Check it out!