Another convert!

Wow Emily and Mom are taking things into their own hands. They have set up a blog for my sister Sarah and her family and I encourage everyone to give them a quick howdy and welcome to this friendly bloggerhood. I think she might need a little encouragement to start posting on her own so don't be shy extend that hand friendship everyone... come on... no time like the present.

vacation has officially begun

Last week was gorgeous in Amarillo. Everyday had high temperatures in the low to mid 70's. Just perfect... then spring break starts for everyone and we have horrible weather. Today for example had a high in the low 50's and it is totally foggy and misty all day long. YUCK!!

A good friend of mine is really sick so I told her I would take her four oldest children (ages 7-3) for part of the day so she could have a little easier day. I decided with a day like today we would have to go somewhere inside. I had a coupon for Chuck E. Cheese tokens so I made plans to meet a few of my friends there. All of us moms not only had our own children but we were all also watching someone else's kids too. The grand total was 17 kids between the 4 of us moms. Talk about birth control!!

It really wasn't that bad but there was a lot of conversations between me and the other moms that went something like this, "Have you seen Eric?" "Last time I saw him he was with Brooke." "Oh ok... he should be ok then... right?" "Yeah I wouldn't worry too much about it." We all ate before we went to avoid paying like $18 for a large pizza. We spent 2 and half hours there and managed to spend 180 tokens between the 8 kids. Everyone walked away with about 75 cents worth of prizes. You gotta love it!!

It really was a good idea though. Unfortunately we were not the only moms in Amarillo that had this idea. The place was PACKED. I really do love how they stamp each kid with the invisible stamp and WILL NOT let you leave the place until they verify that everyone in your party has the same number. That is a great idea!!!

Tomorrow looks like more of the same weather but I think we have spent enough money for the next few days. We will have some friends over to the house rent a movie and have a "picnic" on our living room floor. Hope things are just as exciting for everyone else out there.

SIDE NOTE:

Ewwww... As I was typing my last sentence Jake (who was sitting next to me by the computer) jumped out of his chair and took about 5 steps before he threw up all over my bedroom floor. He then took about three more steps before the next round started. I know he was trying to get to the bathroom but jeez he was only like two more steps from it when he stoped to do his business... sigh.... More birth control.

SIDE NOTE 2:

My good friend Torrie ALWAYS calls Chuck E. Cheese, Chuck E. Disease could it be? Does it work that fast? Hmmmm.... Just a thought.

Another convert!

After months of bugging my little sister to start a blog she (when I say she I mean my sister Emily and mother) finally started one today. Please jump over to her blog and welcome her to the bloggerhood. Everyone is welcome to say hi she is very friendly!!

What exactly is this supposed to mean?

I meant to post this picture with my Albuquerque post but forgot.



What do you think? Is this 'caution people crossing' sign looking a little fat? I might be wrong (actually I know I'm not wrong... I'm just saying that because it's polite to act humble) but, I believe the traffic sign makers of America are perhaps trying to make a statement about the obesity epidemic. Actually I don't know what kind of statement they are trying to make. Maybe we all got so fat that the typical driver had no idea what type or species of animal the old stick man represented in these particular caution signs. Maybe this particular intersection in Albuquerque had a horrible rate of pedestrian accidents because the average driver was only on the look out for very fit walkers therefore unfortunately missing the more heavy set walker crossing the road. Well what ever the case might be as a plus sized American I'm sure proud to see that I am now more accurately being represented in yet another facet of life.

I still however might have to contact the ACLU about bringing some kind of case against the traffic sign people because the Americans with no hands or feet population of this nation have really monopolized things for way too long.

Spring break!!!

Is anyone else TOTALLY ready for spring break? I can't tell you how much I need this. I really do love my job in fact I always say that I feel lucky that I like going to work and feel satisfaction in my work. That being said I can't believe I only have one day left. I go to work tomorrow and then I am off work for the next 10 days. I had all kinds of plans for what the kids and I would do during our time off school but things have taken a turn for us. The original plan was that I would drive to San Antonio with all the kids and visit Em and her family. Mom liked the idea so much that she bought a plane ticket and flies down on Saturday. Then things changed... for one thing the accident put a "dent" in our plan and then Jake's dermatologist suggested that we go down to Dallas to meet with a doctor there. I called the new doctor's office and found out that they have their psoriasis clinic open on Tues and Thurs. I knew the best think would be to go down there during our spring break. We are really excited (well Jeremy and I are excited...not so much Jake) to have the opportunity to meet with Dr. Menter. Dr. Menter is the president of the International Psoriasis Council. He has written several articles and books about psoriasis and treatments. He works along side Baylor University where he also works on studies and with a research team. Jake's severity and age make him a little bit more rare with his condition and Jake's Amarillo dermatologist wants to start him on a kind of injection that he reads studies about for treating children with psoriasis. His one reservation is that he has never actually had a patient this young that he has put on the shots before. He really wants to have Dr. Menter provide a second opinion for him. We will be leaving on Thursday the 20th early in the morning then we will spend the night in Dallas and hopefully find something fun and special to do together on Friday. I will be taking Jake and Riley both, I figured it was her spring break for her too and she would love to have a little mini trip. I would love to take the whole family down and make it a family affair but Jeremy is stuck working. I have wonderful friends who have volunteered to take Morgan and Brooke while daddy is at work. I really hope for great things to come out of this trip. Jake is doing ok but there is definitely some room for improvement. His rash has improved in color but none of it has really gone away. It's just much lighter.

If anyone out there knows of any cheap exciting kid friendly things to do in Dallas let me know. Cheap is the word I am stressing the most here :).

I'm not feeling the blog these days

I feel like I have been neglecting our family journal/blog. I'm trying to get motivated enough to post something because I really wanted to make sure and document our little adventure to Albuquerque, NM.

Jeremy's sister Amanda and her husband David invited everyone to Albuquerque last weekend to meet their new twins and witness their blessing. We were lucky to only live about four hours away so of course we went. It was so fun to see the babies. I just love being around a new baby they are so sweet and innocent. We arrived late Friday night after working all day. Amanda and David were blessed to have many family members attend so things were kind of tight at their house. They were kind enough to make hotel arrangements for some of the family including us (staying in a hotel is WAY to exciting for little kids... big fights over the tiny notebook and pen). After a good nights rest we went over to Amanda's house for the big moment of meeting our newest niece and nephew. They did not disappoint, they are adorable babies and they really seem to have very nice newborn personalities.


We all hung out for a little while then packed up a picnic lunch and headed for the zoo. It was a gorgeous day and everyone really enjoyed being outside all day long. We walked all over the place and saw so many cool animals. This zoo was much nicer than the one in Amarillo, of course you can't beat the cost of our little Amarillo zoo... it's free. The best thing about the day was spending time with everyone. We all talked about it and had decided it had been over two years since we were all together. After a long day at the zoo we all had supper together and then turned in so we could wash our dirty little children and prepare for the big day.

I would say that Cooper was perhaps the most excited about being re-acquainted with one of his cousins. I can't say I blame him Morgan is VERY kissable.

Sunday went wonderfully. The blessings were so sincere and heartfelt. Amanda and David were great hosts, we thank them for inviting us and letting us share in their big day.

My faboulous girls weekend retreat/ I have an awesome husband

I am not what you would call a world traveler however the past two weekends I have been able to make quick weekend trips. Two weekends ago I was very lucky (thanks Jeremy!!!) to go on a girls weekend out (much like my girls night out but much longer). Two of my best friends Torrie and Danielle, and of course myself had been planning and budgeting for our little Oklahoma City retreat for about six weeks when I was in the car crash. The girls all told me they would understand if I couldn't make it but after talking with Jeremy we decided I should still go.

It was so much fun. We got in late on Friday night and walked around the Brickyard district. We soon figured that this was not the place for married, LDS women. It was mostly bars and drunk college kids. We did find a bar and grill so we could at least get something to eat and then we headed to our hotel. I am very pleased to say that after very little persuasion on Danielle and my self's part we were upgraded from a boring normal room to an awesome huge suite (Jedi powers). It never hurts to ask... We stayed up and chatted and just had a great time.

Saturday was set aside for some shopping and movie watching. I was pretty much broke but all I heard the week heading up to our great escape was "Steve and Barry" this and "Steve and Barry" that. Danielle totally loved this store and she promised us that everything in there was less than nine bucks. Torrie and I were thinking there were probably some good deals but come on EVERYTHING was under nine dollars?!?!?! We drove out there it was not in the nicest mall but I guess if you are giving things away how could they afford the rent? We walked in and saw the $8.98 signs everywhere. There were thick winter jackets, jeans, shoes, swimsuits tons of stuff all sizes and $8.98 signs next to all of it. Torrie leaned over to me and said, "I think I want to double check with a worker that EVERYTHING is included in this sale before I get too excited". I agreed and so we asked a girl working there and shock of all shocks Danielle was right (sorry we ever doubted you girl). I know I said I was broke but come on. When else do you see these kinds of prices. I bought some stuff for the kids focusing on the jackets, shoes, and jeans. I found a pair of Sarah Jessica Parker's jeans in my size so I had to buy that. Big girls don't normally get the good deals. I also grabbed me a new hoodie. I'm a sucker for a nice thick hoodie. It was really fun and we were there for two and half hours. We had lunch and then went to the nice mall.

I have a hard time stomaching "nice" malls. It all makes me nauseas. The $500+ purses for sale, the women wearing outfits that cost more than one months mortgage, the little kids dressed in better clothes than I will ever own. It's not my favorite. I don't get it I guess. I mean my nine dollar jeans are doing a great job of doing what they are suppose to. Why do some people NEED/want two hundred dollar jeans? It blows my mind. This particular mall had a teeth whitening kiosk. You can pay $100 and have your teeth at least two shades whitter in 15 minutes. They use the gel and intense LED lights to do it. Have you ever heard of this? I was sort of shocked. I don't know what to think of this. I am all for nice white teeth but at the mall? The people working it had on white coats to fool you into thinking they are dentists or something. What do you think? Would you chance it? While we were at the mall we watched a chick flick "29 dresses". It was cute but very much rent able.

We had another fabulous meal and then we headed to Wal-Mart to buy us some false eyelashes (another item we saw lots of people wearing at the mall, not always on women though...). We couldn't find any of the cheap eyelashes and we were NOT willing to pay five bucks for them we settled for Easter candy and a card game. I would like to say this is where we turned in for the night however what would a girls weekend be without a quick trip to your local Indian casino? We drove out to River...something Torrie and Danielle each took out a twenty and made me promise not to let them dip into any more money. I totally would have taken out a twenty but I think I already established I was broke so I didn't. I went along as their voice of reason. They both headed for the nickel slots and I sat there with them looking a bit pathetic I guess because they both would occasionally slip a dollar into my machine. After Danielle hit it rich by winning $50 in nickels (of course you have to subtract her initial investment of $20) we decided to call it quites. We left smelling very stinky which of course made my morning shower a must (dang it).




The next day was Sunday and we thought it would be very appropriate to visit the Oklahoma City bombing memorial. It was so peaceful, sullen, inspiring, and reverent all at the same time. We walked all over the grounds remembering the day of the horrible incident and reading the inspirational moving words that were engraved on parts of the memorial. I would totally recommend this memorial to anyone. It is a must see if you are ever even close to OKC. The last stop before we took off was for a nice meal at the Toby Kieth BBQ place. It was really good but so stinking fatty it kind of makes you sick to think about it (this coming from someone who doesn't exactly watch what she eats enough). My grilled chicken sandwich for example comes with bacon, ham and LOTS of melted cheese on it. I wanted to avoid the fried food so I TRIED to make a healthier choice oh well... it was dang good. The weekend was wonderful. Our husbands were wonderful for taking over for us (I came home to a totally clean house, and left over homemade dinner in the fridge) and we sure do hope this can be a yearly treat.

I'm back...

I want to thank everyone for their kind comments, thoughts, and prayers. We are all doing very well other than a nasty bruise across my shoulder that is lingering everyone seems to be recovered. I can't say think you enough to our wonderful friends and family and for everything they did for us. I have co-workers who are driving me to Jeremy's work everyday so I can pick up our remaining van. I have a wonderful visiting teacher who made us dinner the day after it happened and I have had several friends who have pitched in to babysit while I was at doctors appointments for both myself and Jake. Lastly we have wonderful family members who have called to check up on us and have offered great advice and support. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

On a much lighter note we want to wish my dad a very happy 58th birthday. Dad is such a wonderful example of hard work, charity, and generosity. Dad is beloved by many members of the La Rosa Spanish branch where he served as their branch president for years and blessed the members there with these attributes. I love my dad's great sense of humor and quick wit. I have always looked up to him and have always tried to live my life in a way that would make him proud. Here are just a few fun facts about my dad:

1. think Monk but on a slightly smaller scale
2. dad was the best tipper I ever had as a waitress
3. dad served a mission for the church in both Columbia and Venezuela
4. while driving through the country on our yearly family trips dad always found a family to "help" out who needed a little money for gas or for some other reason
5. dad is a very avid Wii player (he actually loves all games this is his newest obsession)
6. dad loves music and introduced me to many classic artists such as: Steve Earl, Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles, and Johnny Cash

We Love you Daddy happy birthday!!!!

It could have been much worse

I guess since this blog is our official family journal we need to document the good, the bad and the ugly. I really don't feel much like posting anything right now so I will make this short and sweet. Last night after the kids and I went out for Brooke's birthday to celebrate and so I could buy Brooke a birthday present we were hit by an impaired driver. We were less then 2 miles from home when this man took a very sharp left right in front of our car giving me just enough time to take my foot off the gas but not even enough time to hit the brake. We are all ok physically, just a few bruises. Our van is possibly totalled (we had to get it towed from the scene). The kids were very scared and all I wanted was Jeremy to hurry and get there so I could hug him. It was very scarry and I am still very emotional about the whole thing. Some of the sad comments the kids were making right after the accident were:

Jake: And it's Brooke's birthday.... (sob, sob, sob)
Riley: Why weren't you paying attention mommy?!?!?! (I had to explain this was not our fault at all)
Brooke: How will we drive to school in the morning?

Before the accident we meet the sister missionaries at a pizza place for dinner and then went out to the mall with some very good friends so I could buy Brooke a present. Here are the pictures from the evening.






I have to add that today I took the day off work with Jeremy. I am very sore and we obviously had stuff to get done. I have some of the best friends and family in the world. I want to thank everyone for their kind words, babysitting, and bringing in dinner for us tonight. I love the gospel and although this is a horrible thing for us to go through I know in the eternal picture this is nothing it is our love, service, and obedience that is importance. I love our friends and family so much and can't thank them enough for helping out during this time.

Happy Birthday Brooke!!!

Brooke (4 years old) with her Uncle Chris at Disneyland.
Brooke (4 years old) with her sister Morgan at The Rainforst Cafe.
Brooke (3 years old) at the water park in Bakersfield.

I can't believe our little Brooke is turning five years old. Brooke is such a joy to our family. She has such a strong personality and will. I have no doubt that the Lord has great work for this young lady to do. As well as her strong side she can also be extremely shy. It takes Brooke a little bit of time to warm up to new people but once she knows she likes you she is such a sweetie. Jeremy refers to Brooke as his "lap dog" no matter where Jeremy is Brooke will tag right along and cozy onto his lap. She loves her family very much but has a VERY strong bond with her daddy. Brooke is a very smart little girl and loves everything that has to do with being a mommy. She takes very good care of her dolls as well as her little sister. Brooke loves to help in the kitchen and will one day be an excellent mother and wife. We love you Brooke and hope you have a wonderful birthday!!!

A conversation with my 4 year old

A few weeks ago while driving home from school/work Brooke and I had this conversation:

Brooke: Mom did Heavenly Father really make all the people?

Me: Yup he sure did.

Brooke: Then He's a good artist because EVERYONE is so beautiful!

Me: You're so right Brooke!

I love these little moments with my children, they are so sweet and pure.

Isn't it ironic... don't you think?

As most of you know I have totally been sMITTen. I worked the phones for him, signed people up on "team Mitt", eagerly watched any interviews, debates, or discussions with Mitt, shot I even contributed a SMALL amount to his campaign. I LOVE this man. I was of course crushed when Mitt decided to step down from this presidential race (I love the blog Mandee wrote about this very topic it really sums up my feelings too). A while back on Mitt's website there was a little bit of a fundraiser going on where you could buy a Mitt t-shirt that he personally signed. I REALLY wanted one and since I had some birthday money left over I did it. The shirt got here yesterday... I guess I could wait and wear it in 2012. Nah I'm tacky enough to wear it to work, I paid 50 bucks for this baby!! Mitt Romney for VP!!!

***side note*** this is me without makeup.