Mitchell

Recently, I have had the pleasure of smiling a lot at my newly 4 year old step-son. He has reached a level of maturity that enables him to think further than he ever has before. Of course, he reaches this before any of us new it, so he continually says things that surprise me completely!! His little mouth saying such grown up thoughts and feelings has to be the most incredibly adorable thing I have ever witnessed.
If you follow my facebook, you already know some of these stories, but if not, here are some just to make you smile like I have:

-Mitchell in Primary, all sad like. I ask, "Mitchell what's the matter?" .... he sadly replies, "I just feel sad about growing up".....
-Later that same church day, we're grabbing his coat. He says it again and I ask him, "why are you sad about that Mitchell?" He thinks for a minute....then replies, "I just don't think it's a good idea".

- Our salt water fish tank holds a lot of pride from us since Owen has pieced it together piece by piece and built the system from the ground up. Each year, for different occasions we add things like a new coral or a new fish. We had 2 maroon clown fish, a big grey tang, a coral beauty, a cardinal, 3 wrays and the newest addition was a neon two toned yellow and purple fish we named Starburst. Since we have owned her, she has killed off the 3 wrayes, our coral beauty jumped out of the tank thanks to her harassment and our newest loss was one of prized maroon clowns. So tragic. So we've basically decided to do away with Starburst. The kids overheard me saying this fish should be flushed or destroyed because she's a murderer. Since then, they have obsessed over how she needs to go away. So Mitchell, watching the tank intently, decides to run up and scare her. He hits the glass with his palm and says very loudly, "NOT TODAY STARBURST!!"

-For Mitchell's 4th Birthday, we decided to do an official Chuck-e-Cheese birthday party. We invited all the fam and friends. Mitchell and Tristan are like best friends. When Tristan arrived, they took their tokens and ran off to play the games. When Owen goes to check on them, he sees them looking at each other worried like. As he gets closer, he sees it's one of those Bonus Ticket machines. The tickets are spewing out by the hundreds. Mitchell points at Tristan and stuttering, he says, "I, I , I put the token in but but but Tristan, he, he pushed the button!! Tristan looks at Owen nervous.....They thought they broke it!!! LOL!"

-Mitchell got to do the Ticket Blaster machine. This means he gets to go in a plastic tube thing and they blow the tickets around and whatever he can grab, he can keep (vouchers for more tickets). Well....this is what happened....I dare you to try not to laugh. Poor Mitchell boy. So tragically adorable.

After this tragic reaction, I went in there with him and we caught vouchers for hundreds of tickets. He was smiling by the end :)

I absolutely love this little boy. His birthday was so much fun! I attempted a daring crafty culinary piece of art. Sometimes I think I am just creative, but when the finished product came out, I had to pat myself on the back for the artistic qualities I can pull out. My sisters are the real artists in the family. I can do music and I have crazy ideas about stuff, etc, but when it comes to works of art, they usually take the cake.... so here's my cake :)

Mitchell Loved his dragon cake! I was nervous about it for a while, but his smile and excitement about this cake made the whole thing worth while!!!

Happy Birthday Mitchell!!! I love you with all my heart and I'm so glad you are in my life :) I cannot believe you are already 4!

 I'm So glad Friends and family Came. And Rachel's Birthday was this last week too!!! Happy Birthday to the birthday peeps!!!

Ashley, Will and Lincoln. Lincoln is getting so freaking big!! And wow they look like their momma :)

The Way Life Lives Itself

So to make up for the mockery that is my last post (phone's fault...not mine....), I have decided on a random glimpse into my life as of today. Pictures tell a thousand words, but sometimes, those words are nice to analyze and enjoy personal meaning out of.
When I was 14, I took my first plane ride ever. I was going to New York City with my dad. He had a business trip there scheduled for the week and my dad decided it would be a great experience for me. My aunt lived there and the plan was for me to hang with him at night, shop around and read while he worked in the day but then hang out with her one day and let her show me around Manhattan. We did everything! I went into the Two Towers (rest in peace), we saw Les Miserables on Broadway, we shopped til we dropped and had great food. When I got back from my trip, I took my film to my mom and wanted to go get it developed right away. I was excited to see the random dude in a kilt I snapped shots of while crossing a street, the poses next to Ursula and Ariel my aunt and I made in the Disney store, the colorfully tattooed people making out at Virgin Records and the illegal shots I took with my flash off of Les Mis. When my mom took the film in, the photos came back blank. The film got exposed somehow in the developing process. Everything gone. I was crushed. The only thing I have left is a little wooden saying I bought from a random rack on the street which I'm sure involved drug trafficking and money laundering in some form or another (this is my sheltered side coming out), that stated the following: "A heart that has lost the will to sing is like a butterfly with a broken wing".

Years later I realize, looking at that quote, that little wooden plaque is the only thing I need to remember what I experienced there. A taste for a life I always wanted.

Now don't get me wrong. I love my family. They are kind, they are loving, they are fun... but the feeling I get when I taste the air of independence and change makes me come alive. Something about the air in big cities (minus the instant lung cancer) brings a feeling of freedom.

I love music. I went through a time in my life where I thought everyone knew me and what I wanted. I made the mistake of surrounding my life in everything BUT music and paid the price. I feel like I wallpapered away into the crowd. My husband never knew me to do music, so when I started doing it, it was a change for him. My family never knew me not to do music, so when I was married working 3 jobs, they didn't know me anymore either.

For the past year, I have been making some drastic changes in my life. I got another office job for one, but this one is positive. The environment is good and the people are interesting to me. I don't mind the work and I don't feel abused by the end of the day. I got married to the funniest, cutest, weirdest guy I know. (coming from the queen of the weirdos). I can't explain my feelings for him some days. It's just a feeling. Something pulling me. I realized that even though I was not planning on marriage for quite some time when I got divorced, I knew I didn't know how to live my life smiling without him there. I could live, but it wouldn't have been as special. We got married in June and even though that may have been the most stressful time of my life, it was beautiful. It was special, and we pulled it off. Right after the wedding, I made a decision. Music. It has to continue in my life. It is always in my heart, hence the surprise when people don't know this about me. But one has to live their passions for people to see and classify them as a *insert professional talent*.

So I started taking guitar again. I have started writing again. I contacted a dear friend of mine and we have started a new band. My songs. It's so refreshing to not be singing backup in a band anymore. While that was fun and sated my need for the time being there for a couple years, it's far past the time for me to have my own show.

Each one of the people in my life that I love and hate contribute to my musical creations. I have to say thank you. Strange to realize I'm thanking people I hate, but in truth, they reveal a reality many people cannot explain. That's why music exists. To express the seemingly inexpressible. I will list when I start performing around town. It will be in the next 2 months. Wish me luck everyone. Love you all. And thanks again for everything you have all contributed. ~

Christmas 2012

I've decided it's hard to feel the Christmas spirit as an adult naturally. It actually takes work to remember the meaning of Christmas through all the buying, budgeting, planning, and stressful days. But through it all, somehow, you can't help but feel love and happiness when your 3 year old says something like, "He ate the cookies mom!!!!! I KNEW he was real!!!" so stinking cute! We went to the festival of trees and saw Santa where Mitchell asked for a dragon. They got face Christmas stamps too.
We had a party at great grandmas where Santa visited, partied christmas eve night where we let off our balloons to Santa and then opened presents Christmas morning. The rest of our vacation was loads of fun and full of giggles :-)

I posted this one from my phone. The pics are a bit differently shown and they got shuffled, but hey, use your imagination and enjoy the fun!

Clean Slate, Costumes, Candles and Santa Clause

Ok, Fresh Start! I am happy to say I feel better about all the junk that has congested my life recently and am ready to get back to the smiles that are in our lives :). Instead of a bunch of different posts, I am going to use this one post to catch everyone up to speed with what's going on. Ready Set GO!

SPOOKTACULAR!!!
Halloween was a blast this year!! Mitchell picked out his own costume....

So did Jessica....

Doin Witch's brew!! :)

We had so much fun Picking out pumpkins this year at the Pumpkin Patch

 Olivia Stowed away!

On to my Birthday

For turning 27, my adorable loveable husband took me to the grand awesome Las Vegas :)



 We saw Cirque Du Soleil. It was unbelievable!!

CHRISTMAS TIME BEGINS!!

Christmas to Come..................................(to be continued)