The true meaning of Christmas.

During this time of year, it is so easy to get stressed about what gifts to give and caught up in all the sales and lights, but every year during this time of year I always have a moment where the true meaning of Christmas makes it appearance into my heart.

Through church, I have a great calling of teaching Faith in God or Activity Days. Let me tell you, it has to be the greatest calling ever. I help conduct a class two times a month with girls ages 8-11. We work on service project, talents, articles of faith, and learning about the gospel and trying to feel the spirit. Sometimes that classes are just wild with activities and sometimes they are just sweet, but everytime I come away feeling so thankful that I have the opportunity to get to know these sweet girls.

Last year we started the tradition of going Christmas caroling as our last activity for the year. We make special gifts the previous meeting to give to the people we carol to and decide on the songs we are going to sing. We go caroling to 2-3 homes then at the end of the night, one of the girls mother invites us to her gorgeous Christmas decorated house for hot chocolate and treats where we sing some more Christmas carols and the girls get all their giggles out before going home.
This year we made cute raindeer ornaments out of popsickle sticks and decorated candles.
This year we decided to focus on caroling to two widowed sisters in our ward who have in some way or another made an impact on our ward and on our own families. When we arrived at their homes, immediately when the door opened, you could feel the spirit and the tears filled their eyes as these sweet girls sang with the purest voices. And afterwards, the smiles on each womens faces and the girls faces were priceless.

These are the type of services that show the true meaning of Christmas. During this time of year we should be celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ by being like him and serving others. I can tell you the simple act of going Christmas caroling brought the spirit and enough joy into my heart to last for a long time and I know these girls felt it as well.

Our New Desktop Accessory

Who knew that our new desktop accessory would be so cute. He is really great at rearranging all the pens in the drawer and pushing every button on the computer and printer. Now I will never be bored while blogging.

Little Mr. Energy.

We have noticed as parents lately that we might be failing to entertain Little Mr. Tyler. He seems to have become quite an energetic boy and his attention span is getting even more shorter. So we have had to come up with some ideas as to entertain this little guy. Here are some of our ideas that have worked.Piano playing is always a fun past time for Tyler and he feels it he is the next Mozart in our family.
Turning on and off the TV is also great entertainment for Tyler, especially when you are watching a movie and your are really into the exciting scenes then all of a sudden the TV goes blank and you hear a loud shrill of laughter from a little short person.( Notice all the fingerprints on the TV. Can you tell how often this event happens?)

Can't forget the remote. Tyler is great at pressing all the buttons.

If all else fails, just bring in the good old swimming pool. I have to give credit to Daddy for this one. It's a great way to fill your living room space and can also be used as a toy box or ball pit.

Swimming pools would not be fun without a Tyler and a Daddy in it.

Crotchet Time.

Recently I have indulged myself in my love for Crocheting. It is a hobby that I just love to do. I can crotchet just about anywhere; in the car while Eric is driving, in the car while I am waiting or procrastinating going into the hospital to work, or while watching TV. Recently our Beagle, Daisy, has been having trouble getting out of bed in the mornings. She keeps getting here head caught in the one of many holes that she chewed in her favorite afghan. This was the first afghan that I ever completed and it was my favorite too until we brought Daisy home as a puppy and she indulged herself with the blanket.Recently Eric had been nagging me to make another afghan for Daisy because she prefers it to the other four blankets that are on her dog bed. So I gave in and made her a blanket.

The process of crocheting the blanket was quite funny to many people. While crocheting at work on my breaks when someone would ask who I was making the blanket for I was honest and said it was for my dog. Their immediate reaction was to laugh. I would then explain my pathetic story how Daisy's head was stuck in her blanket every morning and how pitiful she would looked and how she just had to have another blanket. They would then understand, but still think I was crazy for spending so much time and effort for my dog. Now anytime they see me crotchet they ask if it is for another dog.

I feel I have almost become obsessed with it. There are now so many patterns and fun things to crotchet and they make great gifts. I think that I have given away at least 8 blankets in the past that I have made. I have made a goal now to not use the same pattern more than once so as to improve my skills and challenge myself. Here are just a few of my project that I have completed or am working on.
Daisy's blanket. She really loves it. Every night she crawls under it and wiggles around.


This is my latest project. It is called a Zen Spiral afghan. I have never made a circular Afghan and so far I am really loving how it is turning out.

Here are some unfinished projects. Some blocks for an afghan and a baby boy blanket which I will crotchet a pocket on and put a crotchet dog in it as a gift.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween Everyone!


Today has been a relaxing and fun day. Tyler and I spent the day at home just playing. I had the opportunity to care two pumpkins since Eric and I did not have time to do it together. Most of the carving was done while Ty was sleeping since he wanted to play with the knife. Probably not the best idea. Afterwards we decorated the front of the house in preparation for Trick-or-Treaters. When the sun had set, we were off. We visited four houses with Tyler. He was more interested in trying to walk and get the candy out of his pale than actually getting the candy. We spent the rest of the night sitting in front of the house with Daisy and Zoe and handing out candy. It was an easier way to give out candy instead of the dogs having a hissy fit every time the door bell rang.We even dressed up the dogs.


The dog was carved just for Eric since he missed it and because Ty can say, "Dog."

The decorations turned out pretty good considering I did it all for free.

Daisy was a Bumble Bee and Zoe was a Lady Bug.
Can't wait to see what next Halloween will bring.

Trunk or Treat.

Our family went to a great Carnival and Trunk-or-Treat this weekend at our church. They had a carnival with a cake walk, basketball shooting, a scooter course, fishing stand, face painting, popcorn machine, and a chili cook-off. The activities committee did an awesome job and all the kids just loved it. There were so many cute costumes. Some even brought their dogs dressed up.Tyler was a Dragon. He was so cute. I thought that he was not going to keep his hat on, but he was so mesmerized by all the other kids that he did not notice it. He had a lot of attention. There was a big blow up entry way that he kept running to because he liked the pump and he even threw a tantrum when we had to pry him away from it. Dad was a mechanic and mom was a candy corn. We went a little cheap on our costumes, but it was fun. Mom played the basketball shooting contest and came in second with 16 made baskets in 30 sec in the Women's category. You almost had to pry me away from it. The trunk or treat was fun, but Tyler was more interested in eating popcorn off the ground or running to the side walk then trying to get candy. It was a great night. It is a lot more fun when now that Ty is older and can walk around. We did feel a little guilty that we were getting candy since Ty does not actually get to eat it, but I guess he needs to practice and we did work really hard letting him practice so we deserved a treat too.

Pumpkin Patch.

This last weekend, we had a great day at the Pumpkin Patch in Davis. We met up with other Vet students and their families. It is one of the activities that we like to get together and meet each other's families and let the kids just play together. Tyler was old enough to go to the petting barn this year. There were so many animal and kids. I think he was a little overwhelmed at times and was mostly interested in the other kids than the animals. We then picked out our pumpkins from these big fields. Tyler loved helping dad with the wheelbarrow.

Our family.

The piglets were so cute.

This little pygmy goat was very unusual with its ears curled up.

This is mommy's favorite animal, the cow. Both Tyler and the calf look a little tired.

Tyler loved helping daddy with the wheelbarrow.

Tyler picking up a pumpkin.

Mischief Child.

I was having one of those, "There is not enough time in the day to get everything done," day.
I was working on the computer printing some stuff off for a class I teach, when I heard a thump. Tyler was in the office playing with the plastic lid of a box and likes to bang it around where ever he goes, so I did not think anything of it and kept printing off my work. When I finally turned around, this is what I saw.

If you cannot tell what this is, he took off the top of the paper shredder (it was turned off of course) and threw shredded paper all over the office, then down the hall and into the living room. It's not the first time I have turned around and have been unexpectedly surprised and he was actually being pretty quiet with it.

Mom's recovery.

I just wanted to give an update on my mother's progress. The results of pathology and her estrogen and progesterone receptor test came back great. She will not have to have Chemo. She will just have to take a pill for 5 years, a mammogram every six months, and more doctors appts. Pretty great news. She has been so thankful to everyone for the gifts, food, and phone calls. She is feeling great and is relieved to finally be able to drive and get out of the house, but she still has a lot of healing that she needs to do and try as best as she can to not overexert herself. Thanks to everyone for your support and prayers. I truly believe that they have helped her and blessed her.

I just wanted to post some cute pictures of mom before her surgery. Mom, I hope you do not mind.
This is a picture of Aunt Nancy, Grandma, Mom , and Tyler in the waiting room before mom's surgery.
Mom in the pre-op room. Tyler was scared of mom in her hat.
She had to take it off to talk to him, then he recognized her.

I just love this picture of my parents. I think it radiates the love they have for each other.

Doing Something With My Time.

Recently I have decreased my hours at work by one shift every two weeks in order to be a little more sane and spend some more time with my family. I know there will be a little more strain on our financial situation, but I am willing to give up some luxuries to spend some more time at home.

On the weeks that I work one less shift, I have made a promise to myself that I will work on a project while Tyler is sleeping. This week it is Burp cloths. I have way too much fabric and craft supplies than our new house can hold so in order to use the fabric in a financially safe way, I have used my time to create future baby gifts. I had a pack of cloth diapers from the last time I made burp cloths and lots of cute girly flannel blankets. Here are the results.

So if you are having a baby girl in the near future, I hope you do not see this blog because these may be in your gift.

Happy 4 years!

Last week was our 4 year Anniversary of being married and 9 years of being together as a couple. I know that I am a little late to post, but we've been quite busy. It seems like we were married a long time ago, but at the same time that it was yesterday. We went from living in our mobile home with one dog and a Studebaker to now living in our own house with a child, two dogs and two Studebakers. I wonder what next year will bring or in another four years. It has been such a wonderful life and I can't imagine any other person to spend it with than Eric. He is a wonderful father and works so hard at home and school. I am truly lucky to have a this man in my life. (Sorry for the sappy stuff, but here's to you Babe!)

Here is a picture of us on our 1st anniversary. We went on a Dinner ride on the Sunset Dinner Train. It was very elegant. Having a child sure changes your plans of an anniversary trip.

To celebrate this year, we had a wonderful weekend of traveling and enjoying our time together as a family. Friday we headed to Milpitas, Ca (San Jose) for a Studebaker Zone meet. We have not been to a car function for a while so it was fun to see old friends and look at cars. Eric mostly looked since Ty couldn't miss his nap and it was cold and windy. There were some really gorgeous Studebakers. One car was bright pink and the woman did all the work on her car herself. She was really cute and dressed in black satin pants and a bright pink top with a black scarf around her neck. Total 50's!

After spending half of the day there we went to San Francisco. Once I heard that the Academy of Science Museum was having its grand opening, I have been so excited to go. It was fun, but very crowded. They had a really neat aquarium and coral reef area and rain forest area. We did not go into the rain forest because of the line, but we could look into it because it was this huge glass ball that people walked up a spiral walkway up the top. We also could not go into the Planetarium because Tyler was too young. The best part for Tyler was sitting on the grass outside and playing with all the kids running around. It was a kid zoo and he just ran around and walked up to families then stood and stared at them for a long time. It was funny to see him interact.

On Sunday, we headed to Point Reyes along Highway 1 and spent some time at the Lighthouse. We walked 300 stairs down to the Lighthouse then back up. It was quite a trek, but very beautiful. We even saw deer on the side of the path. Overall our weekend was just about spending time together and introducing Tyler to more exciting places even if he will not remember any of this.
Tyler did not seem to mind looking down at the cliffs. He constantly wanted to look over the railing at the water below.

Mom's Surgery Update.

What an emotional day! Today was my mom's mastectomy. We left the house and headed for Fresno at 10:30 am. When we were just out of town when the hospital called to tell my mom to come in as soon as possible because they wanted to move up her surgery. It took about an hour to get her prepped and the actual surgery was about 1 1/2 hours long. The greatest thing was that everything went great. The Sentinal test came back negative which showed that the cancer had not spread to lymph nodes. What wonderful news! It took another 2 hours before we were able to see mom and she looked great. She was hooked up to a PCA pump that gave her a dose of Dilaudid (really gooood stuff!) when she pressed the button. Mom was smiling and even laughing. She was also so concerned about everyone else ( That's my Mom!). When the medicine finally caught up with her pain, we would be talking to her one moment then she would be asleep within a second. It was funny, but we knew it was our time to go. I hope she gets caught up on all the hours of sleepless nights.

We had a lot of family there for support which was great. It is amazing how an illness can bring a family closer. My biggest job was being in charge of calling people after I learned of the results. I was also in charge of Mom's cell phone. I learned from dad that mom has 92 people on her address book on her cell phone. Of course I did not call that many people, but it goes to show just how many people my mom keeps in touch with. I did spend the rest of the night on the phone, though, with what seemed to be the whole town my parents lived in. I would talk to one person and they would tell me that they then needed to call so and so and let them know how my mom was doing. The phone tree was definitely in progress. Thank goodness I did not leave the cell phone with mom because she would never get sleep with how many people I had to talk to and when we got home, I would be talking to someone on the land line and cell phones would be going off at the same time. My dad just refused to answer the phone. Overall everyone was just so kind and loving. I just could not believe how many people were concerned for my mom and telling me what a great person she is. I just hope that my mother realizes what a positive example she is to others. My heart is just so full right now and I can't express enough thanks to everyone for their concern and their prayers. This will continue to be a very trying recovery for my mom, but I feel a little more at peace leaving her knowing that so many people will make sure that she is taken care of.

For Her.

This is the hardest blog that I know or hope to ever have to write because it is about my best friend. My Mom. I hope that she does not mind me writing about her, but I feel compelled to let people know just what a great woman she is and how brave she is through this difficult time. And I chose to discuss this now after many people have already found out and it is not a big secret, and because I am asking people to keep her in your prayers.

A couple of weeks ago, my mother told me that she had found a lump on her left breast and had a mammogram. The mammogram showed three small masses and calcification along a duct. She told me that the following Tuesday she was going to have a biopsy to see if it was cancer, but that she did not have a bad feeling about this and that she would probably have to have a lumpectomy. It was quite a big shock and though I was worried, I also did not have a bad feeling about what was going on. I was saddened that my mother did not want us to know this until she knew the diagnosis for sure, but I was so glad she told us because I probably would have been a little more upset if she had delayed telling my brother and I.

So the following week she had a lengthy biopsy and the next day it was confirmed that she did have breast cancer. Two of the masses were two centimeters in size, the third one smaller, and three centimeters apart from each other which I guess is a little more serious because it could mean that the cancer is spreading. The calcification could also indicate this since cancer is spread quicker through lymph nodes and ducts then into the blood stream. Only one of the masses indicated infiltration into the breast tissue while the other two did not. So what does this mean?

A mastectomy.

When they perform the mastectomy they will run a test to see if the cancer has spread to more than one lymph node which will indicate that the breast cancer is metastatic and whether she will need chemotherapy or more aggressive treatments.

Once again the news was shocking. I think the next day the news really sunk in and for a couple of days I could not help but cry when I thought about my mom. I mean, she has spent most of her life helping others and working so hard as a nurse and nurse practitioner. For the Big C to happen to her was heart breaking for me and I felt that she did not deserve this. My mother is the person that people call in the middle of the night if they need help with an illness or any other issue and my mother, no matter how little sleep she has had, will get up and spend the rest of the night helping others just to go to work in the morning and not complain about it. Every week she works hard with Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, being the medical personal at every football game, and helping special friends recover from illnesses. She is just an amazing woman. I was scared and heartbroken and I wanted so much to take this disease away from her.

I continue to turn to my Heavenly Father in earnest prayer to please help my mother get through this and to be healed completely. I realized that this was in a way a blessing for our family. I feel already that it has brought us all closer and to cherish the moments we have together. It has also forcefully made my mother think of herself and hopefully realize that she also needs to take care of herself and that so many people want to help her. It is really hard for my mother to except service, but there has been an out pour of love from her community and she in the prayers of many people and many churches. While I was home this last week, I encountered a lot of people who let me know that they have been worried about my mother and are thinking of her. Some of them had tears in their eyes while talking about her. I hope my mother realizes just how many lives she has touched and that by taking care of herself will give her the opportunity to care for people in the future.

As my mother continues to let people know about her diagnosis, she still finds ways of trying to help others become more healthy. She is currently using her diagnosis to teach woman and men about the importance of doing self examinations and getting a mammogram. To put in my two cents, October is Breast Cancer and Get Your Mammogram awareness month.

So on Thursday is the big day that my mother will have her mastectomy. Tyler and I will be driving down tomorrow to be with her through this week. She will then spend at least three weeks recovering as long as the test results are good.

I ask that you please keep my mother and my father in your prayers this week that the surgery goes well and she recovers fully. This is a challenging time for our family, but I know that the Lord will be with her and bless her.

Precious Time With Grandparents.

Tyler and his mom(me) had the wonderful opportunity to spend some time at my parent's house this week while dad was busy going to school. Let me tell you, when it comes to grandparents, Tyler sure knows how to put on the charm. He was such a great little guy and had a break from some of his usual stinker behaviors. Grandma made sure to smother him with kisses and hold him as much as she could. We also spent time with his great grandparents and it was so great to be able to let them see him in this stage of his little life. I get really home sick sometimes when I think how far away I live from my family and wish that they can see Tyler more. I cherish these moments we spend with them and hope that my grandparents are around long enough for Tyler to remember them.

While we were there, it was my parent's anniversary and they really wanted to go the beach before life became to busy. We went to Pismo Beach so they could see what a little fish Tyler was. He proved this right. The first thing he did when we hit the sand was try hard to run to the water. My dad grabbed him and off they went. Of course not without me nagging my dad to bring him back to change him into his swim clothes and not get his pants wet. And of course, he did not listen to me. We were finally able to pull Tyler away from the water and dress him, then he flopped back to the water. He would run into the waves at first as far as he could go. Then after falling a couple of times, he realized that he did not like the water in his face and when the wave came he would run away from it squealing with delight at his accomplishment. If he had the choice, I'm sure he would live right on the beach.

There was one point where an older little girl in a blue bathing suit was running around by us and caught Tyler's eye. He seemed drawn to her and when she ran away to meet up with her mom, Tyler decided to run after her. We just laughed then realized, Hey, he is too young to be interested in girls. He didn't seem too heart broken when she did not come back.


The best part of the day was when both of my parents were playing with him in the water. I just wanted time to stand still and hold that feeling of happiness. When it started to get colder, Tyler cuddled up with grandma, laid his head on her shoulder and soaked up the love he was receiving. Of course, grandma was also soaking up the rare moments that Tyler showed his love.

I hope to have many more trips with them and grandchildren. It was truly a memory I hope will stay forever.

The Terrible Ones.

Tyler has been on a rampage lately, starting not the Terrible Two's or Three's, but the Terrible Ones. He has been taking everything off the shelves, getting toys out everywhere, making every attempt possible to get into the dogs water bowl and splash around, rolling around and screaming when you are trying to change his diaper, especially the poopy ones, throwing tantrums when he does not get his way, randomly screaming at the top of his lungs and sometimes for no apparent reason other than to hear himself, throwing food off his high chair to let you know he is done, and other things that I did not know a one year old would do. At times I feel like I want to pull my hair out and hire a house cleaner, but most of the time, it is pretty funny to see how much destruction a little guy can do to your house in a short period of time. This is probably a phase and for you experienced parents out there, you are probably laughing at me and saying, " Just wait. This is nothing compared to what is to come."Other than that, he is a really happy boy who will turn on a smile for anyone who looks at him. His happy times are spent cuddling with mom and dad, reading a book, trying to snuggle with Daisy and roll around on her, playing tug-a-war with Daisy, walking around outside, or getting a bath, which is the highlight of his day.

There are so many emotions to being a parent and it is amazing to see the thought process that a little child has and how they try to explore and figure out the world. I still cannot believe how fast the time flies and I want so badly to freeze it so that I can really enjoy Tyler and just give him so much love at this stage.
Here are some pictures and videos that grandparents have been begging for. Today was the first time that I cut Tyler's hair with scissors. It took a good hour to accomplish and I still did not totally finish. Eric held Tyler on his lap while Tyler intently watched Sesame Street. He did really great for his age at sitting still and we stopped when he had to get the wiggles out. I had to admit that I did a great job for my first time and did even better than those who had cut Ty's hair in the past. Now we can save $15 on his hair cuts.
Ty's haircut while he is glued to the TV.

Ty loves wearing his sunglasses. He wore them around the house for entire hour until it was getting too dark and I had to take them away.


Ty giving Daisy some snuggles and rolling on top of her. Sometimes I feel for Daisy. She usually just lies there and takes the abuse.

Here is a video of Ty and Daisy playing Tug-a-War. Ty take a little bit of a beating from it, but he actually loves to be pulled by Daisy and sometimes dragged across the ground.