Examples

I am learning how important it is to set a good example. I have my good days and my bad ones. We ALL do! Being the MOM is not easy... It's really hard sometimes. I find myself acting in ways that are not at all the way I teach my kids to act. Actions speak louder than words, It is so true! I have actually had some great days lately but I am seeing some of my behaviors coming out in Jacob. He's having a hard time controlling himself at school. He is reacting to others behavior and is emotional at home when things don't happen just the way he wants. He's feeling out of control, hurt, frustrated and angry.
I love him but I find it difficult to love his behavior when he's "loosin' it!" Steve often tells me how much Jacob is like me. I am so sad to say that he gets this from me too... Life throws us curve balls. People don't always act the way we would like them too. (Especially our children) How are we going to let this affect us? Will we react and make a bad choice or will we keep room in our heart always, no matter the situation to Act with LOVE?!!!

John 13:34
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye alove one another; as I have loved you, that ye also blove one another.

This is one of my favorite scriptures. I pray often for this kind of love... the love the our savior has for us. In fact tonight I prayed for it while my children (all 3 of them crying) were complaining and throwing fits over dinner, not being able to play (even though he'd just played with a friend for an hour), everything being too hard, not fair, and the negativity went on and on.
I did it!!! I didn't let their reactions and negative complaining pull me in and React in frustration from all the energy draining that was occurring. I simply slowed down and filled my negative thoughts with something positive. I did not allow the behavior to continue around ME they could go to their rooms until they were ready to act loving. It worked... they didn't even have to go to their room. Kind words began to fill the dinner table and the food I cooked was eaten without further complaints. The kids went to bed with happiness in our home and love in their hearts... Yes!!! My goal for the day was accomplished and I am gearing up to start again tomorrow, and the next day, and...

I read this in my scripture power for the day, I hope it can enlighten you the way it has for me.

"Thinking negatively does not require any effort; maintaining a believing fame of mind, however, requires an exerted effort over a sustained period of time. "
I'm reading Drawing on the powers of heaven by Grant Von Harrison this was from his book.

D&C 6:36, Mormon 9:27
I challenge you to read these scriptures and then try throughout the day to replace any negative feeling/thought with something positive!

"...doubt and faith do not exist in the same person at the same time..." Joseph Smith, lectures on faith.

LoVe OnE aNoThEr

Valentines Day is so much fun... I love the opportunity it

gives us to share our love for others anonymously!



Cupid came to our house... her gifts put smiles on our faces :>

Jacob - Cars Lily - Lip gloss in a Makeup bag Kali - P.J.'s

Lily asks almost every day to make cookies. She loves to make sugar cookies! I don't know what part is her favorite... eating the dough, licking the frosting off the knife or eating the finished product. She loves it all. I think she gets it from me. I had fun making cookies for all the kids and teachers for her preschool party.

Lily with Lindsay and Molly (her friends she carpools with to school)

Making her valentine bag at school.

Lily's Valentine party at Mrs. Dorsey's preschool.

She was so excited to have us come to the party!!!

Jacob had a valentines party at his school too. He wrote the names of everyone in his class on their valentines... I was so proud of him! He is really do well with reading and writing. Unfortunately I couldn't make anything for his class :<>

I love Valentines day!!!

Is she really...

10 Months old......
Yesterday I was gathering the dirty laundry from all the bedrooms while Kali was playing in the toy room. I couldn't find her anywhere in the toy room so I went looking for her and this is what I found.... she did this all on her own. I couldn't believe she got the drawers out and was inside of it playing around. Who needs toys? For this 10 month old, mischief is way more fun! She is into everything!!! She is so much fun and her personality is just blossoming. She makes all of us laugh. I am so grateful you came to join our family Kali. You bring so much joy to all of our lives.

Kali girl...

Well I am going to sleep better tonight. We took Kali into Dr. Lacour again today to follow up with her strange spots... It went well. Kali is doing fine and will have no lasting effects from this. It will just take time to go away. He gave me answers to my questions and left me with peace of mind. I am so grateful for his wealth of knowledge and his compassionate way he has educated me on things I'd never heard of.
I have been more worried about something that is not as bad as it looks... better to be safe than sorry!!!

Family Time = Eternal memories

Steve had a week of vacation so we decided to go up to Salt Lake and spend the week with our FAMILY!!!

We started out by going to the Draper temple open house. I must admit I had envisioned a very spiritual,quiet, calm, temple experience that I could share in with our children.

First off the spirit really was strong but what was I thinking? Quiet & calm for Jacob... it was too exciting. The kids did a great job but I wish they hadn't eaten chocolate donuts at Gmp&Gma house for breakfast before we went. (whoops!!)

My favorite part was in the brides room with my two daughters!! I looked at Lily and told her that this is the room where you get to do your hair & make-up and put on your wedding dress when you get married! (She is so into dresses and make up right now) Sweet little Lily just looked at me with a great big smile and sighed a happy oh.... I can't explain the sweet spirit I felt and still feel as I think about this amazing experience to be in the temple with her at 3 years of age. I pray that she will return with the man of her dreams to the house of the Lord to be sealed for time and all eternity. What more could a mother want for her daughter! I know it will seem just like yesterday when I will be standing in that room with her again thinking back on this experience. (I am so thankful to my Father in Heaven for this special experience I have felt) Tears of Joy, pure Joy!!!

Our family at the little open house after seeing the temple.
We were shuttled on a bus... the kids loved it!

These 2 temples are the Venezuela and Houston ones

(special places to us)

Miss Lily had snow in her mouth every where we went!!!

She loved it!

Miss Kali's first time in the snow...

she loved watching it fall from the sky.



The rest of the week we spent up in Midway at Grandma and Grandpa Nichol's "hotel" or so Berkley thought when they pulled up to stay the weekend with cousins.

Whitney brought the boys up to play in the snow... THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

The kids had so much fun sledding. Who wouldn't when they didn't have to walk up

the hill! I don't know what was more fun sledding down or riding on the four wheeler

back up the hill to do it again and again and again!!!

Our Grandparents would tell us how they walked up hill both ways in the snow....

Our kids can say they didn't have to walk up or down the hill in the snow (I don't know if that is good or not)

Kali's first time sledding!

Our little Snow Bunnie!!!

Mommy, Kali, & Lily

making snow angels!

Jacob and Lily on their way to ride the sled down the hill.


What a beautiful valley... memories were made that will last forever!

We thought sledding was fun so we thought we'd try snow boarding behind the four wheeler.

Oh what fun it is to ride... behind the four wheeler!!
It feels just like wake boarding so we called it "wheeler boarding"

At night we soaked in the hot tub. Well some of us did...

Lily and Jacob played in the snow and then jumped in to warm up!

Aunt Stephanie and the kids with us soakin' up the heat under the stars at the clubhouse!

Grandma and Kali snuggling on the window seat!

Grandpa, Daddy, and Jacob!!!

My sister Emalee and I out lasted the boys...

We decided the sled was the way to go. All we had to do was hold on and cover our faces. The snow would spray up on us so we couldn't see where we were going. Steve pulled us up and over the jump, we lost the sled right out from under us. That wasn't the only thing I lost... I was laughing so hard I full on peed my snow suit!!! What can I say, after 3 kids my body is not the same... but my heart is. We played so hard I felt like we were kids again. Emalee I will always remember the fun we had. Thanks so much everyone (Ross, LoiAnn, Stephanie and family, Whitney and boys, Emalee & Kendal and family) for a week of FUN, FUN,FUN!

Diagnosis

Well Dr. Lacour doesn't think that it is HSP. That's good news. He diagnosed Kali with Erythema Multifome. It is a rash caused by an overreaction to the infection (strep throat). It is very rare, a flewk thing that doesn't mean she'll every get it again just something that happened. She is taking a steroid for that and staying on the antibiotic for her strep. I was telling Steve that if she wouldn't have got this rash her strep would have gone treated. (Not good)
I'm still worried and watching carefully maybe I'm just Overreacting... but as a mother and a nurse who knows too much and has seen scary things I think I'm paranoid. I asked question after question and Dr. Lacour reassured me that everything was o.k. even if I didn't believe him. I must have come across that way because I am so concerned. He's going to see her again tomorrow just to follow up and see how she's doing.

In the middle of the night I was nursing Kali and thought I felt some weird bumps on her head. I woke Steve up and just starting bawling. He is so sweet he comforted me and gave our sweet little Kali a blessing. She is peacefully sleeping right now. We'll just continue to watch her closely and have faith that she will be just fine. I know Heavenly father hears and answers prayers.

Kali's Legs

Poor Little Kali.....

Yesterday we came home from Utah.
Kali threw up on the airplane
but other than that seemed fine
until we got home and I changed her
diaper and found some bruising on
her legs. I called her Dr. office and
the soonest they could see her was on
Wednesday. They were booked in the
after hours that night. I thought I'd just
wait until morning and call Dr. Lacour.
2 hours later I was changing her into
her pajamas and found swollen legs,
more bruising, and red raised welts...
Off to the ER we went. I started out
at Willow brook Hospital ER and after
waiting an hour and only 1 person being called back
I asked how many people were a head of us.... when
they told me at this point(information that would have been helpful before I waited and hour)
that there were 10 people a head of us and would be about 3-4 hour wait. I asked for a place to
nurse Kali and was left with the only options being to nurse in the lobby with a bunch of scary
looking people or go to the car. Needless to say while I was sitting in the car nursing my tried, restless little Kali I called Steve. He gave me a number to one of the free standing ER's close to
our home. I called and spoke with a the receptionist who assured me I'd get right in. So I decided to go somewhere else. They told me then that if I didn't have medicaid that free standing ER's are the way to go. Off I went to start the process all over again. By this time it was after 10pm and I knew we had just begun our fun adventure for the evening so I tried not to let my self get too frustrated about waisting the past hour.
I had a great experience at 24 hour ER, all of the staff was wonderful. Before I could even finish filling out the paper work they had us go back to a room and start the process.
Kali was diagnosed with.... Henoch-Schoenlein Purpura what a name (HSP) It's a vasculitis which is what the bruising is from. When they drew blood from her arm it was crazy to watch her arm go from looking normal to having red raised welts and little round bruised appear all over her arm from the pressure of the tourniquet. She also has step throat. We've started Kali on Antibiotics and will see Dr. Lacour in just a few hours to follow up. We'll keep you posted. Thank you for being there for me last night. I'm so grateful for cell phones which make it possible to have Steve(home with the kids), my parents (in Hawaii), our family(in Salt Lake) feel like they were right there with us.Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. We love y'all so much. We'll keep you up to date.