Happy Birthday, Mom!

My wonderful mother is celebrating her birthday today. I have the greatest mom in the world. She is someone I look up to in so many ways. I'm going to give you 5 of the many reasons why my mom is so fantastic. 1. She is a wonderful listener and always has time to hear what's going on in my not so fascinating life. Whenever something good or bad happens, I always want to talk to mom see what she thinks or what she would do.

2. She shows genuine concern for everyone in her family. She is very sensitive to how we are all feeling and always calls to see how we're doing.

3. Mom always has been so supportive of whatever it is we are involved in. She cheers us on and attends numerous concerts to show her love.

4. She has a great sense of humor. I remember when I was younger, on more than one occasion, people would ask me what it was like to have her for a mom because she's so funny.

5. Mom always tries to help us see the bright side of things or helps us to see both sides to a situation. She always did this as we were growing up and still helps me keep perspective in tough situations.

My mom is a very talented woman and she is such a blessing in our lives. I wish we could be there to help everyone celebrate with her. We have such a hard time being away and not seeing her more often. We love you, Mom!

Tagged

My friend, Jenny, tagged me! Enjoy!Lucy took this picture of me a couple weeks ago. Cute, I know.

A: Attached or Single: Happily attached!

B: Best Friend: Jay Ray, my siblings

C: Cake or Pie: Cake, but mostly just the frosting

D: Day of Choice: Friday... the weekend is getting started!

E: Essential Item: MP3 shuffle (I CANNOT run or bike without it. I hate hearing how hard I'm breathing!)

F: Favorite Color: It changes a lot. Usually yellow or blue.

G: Greatest Accomplishments: Motherhood, surviving nearly 3 years living 800 miles from my extended family

H: Hometown: Layton, UT

I: Indulgences: Dinner and a movie with Jason, candy, sleeping in, more candy

J: January or July: BOTH! January is my b-day and in July we're usually in Utah for a long visit.

Where did K go?

L: Life is Incomplete Without: My family, the gospel, candy

M: Marriage Date: March 9, 2001

N: Number of Siblings: 2 sisters, 2 brothers, 2 sister in law, 2 brothers in law (I miss them terribly today)

O: Oranges or Apples: Definitely apples! I love 'em! Especially with peanut butter!

P: Phobias or Fears: Jason deploying (gonna happen...gotta face it), losing a loved one,

Q: Quotes: "Sneeze, your brains dusty!" My mom used to tell us to say that to people that were mean to us. I never really understood what it meant. It usually left the mean kids baffled, too.

R: Reasons to Smile: Lucy singing, Graham trying to talk, Jason walking in the door, phone calls from family

Season: Summer in Utah, Fall in California (summers are torturous here!)

T: Tag Four Friends: My longtime USU friend, Megan (welcome to the blogging world! ) Anyone else who wants too!

U: Unknown Fact About Me: Tough one! I need to stop spilling my guts to everyone all the time. I wish I was a little more mysterious. I leave most social gathering feeling like I said something stupid. I have a tendency to give people too much information. I spend a few minutes after I get home telling Jason about the conversations I had and asking him if I said too much or if I sounded like a complete moron.

V: Very Favorite Store: I love the GAP, but can't afford it. I'm loving Target now because that's the only decent store within 30 miles of us here.

W: Worst Habit: Biting my nails.....a lot! Lucy has started doing it because "You keep forgetting to clip them, Mom, and this is easy!" Horrible habit that I'm hoping she doesn't keep!!!

X: X-ray or Ultrasound: Ultrasound- X-rays usually mean something bad.

Y: Your Favorite Food: Does candy count?

Z: Zodiac: Capricorn

Random Favorite Things

These are just a few of things I've been enjoying the last week or so.

Triscuits Fire Roasted Tomato and Olive Oil flavor. I love them! I could eat a whole box in a day....no problem.

Lucy's new shoes. We got them at Target last weekend and I wish they came in my size. Everywhere we go someone comments on how cute they are. She has a hard time keeping them on and the back of them rub her heel, so I can't get her to wear them very often. I think they're adorable!Graham and Lucy are starting to play together more. They play chase and hide and seek. Yesterday Lucy sat him down in her rocking chair, put his blanket around his neck and started spraying his hair and combing it. (I was quick to put the scissors out of sight). Random, I know, but I thought I would share.

Off to Preschool

Today I got to go and volunteer at Lucy's preschool. My friend watched Graham for me, so it was just me and Lucy Goosy. They were having a "fun day", so there was lots of neat things to do. Lucy got to see inside a fire truck, have her face painted, and jump in the bounce house. We had a little picnic lunch at the end with her class. At the beginning of the class I helped the kids finish gluing some legs and eyes on the paper ladybugs they started on Wednesday. I had a hard time just letting the kids do their thing. I kept wanting to help them and straighten everything out. They would put loads of glue on and my heart would start racing. Let's just say teaching preschool would not be my career of choice, but her teachers are absolutely fabulous and so patient. It was entertaining to watch how Lucy interacted with the other kids. She's growing up so quickly. She'll start kindergarten in the fall! Yikes!

No Dogs Allowed!

I have to apologize ahead of time to all of you dog lovers out there. Jason and Lucy have been wanting a dog for as long as I can remember. Both Graham and Lucy absolutely adore dogs. My answer is always, "No!" or "Seriously.....no!" or "Never!" It's not that I don't like dogs. They're okay. Just not in my house.

I have many arguments against the dog owning idea. Here's just a few:

1. I don't want to worry about potty training some dog while I'm still trying to potty train my kids.

2. They stink and most of the time they shed. My house already struggles with the "staying clean" factor. (It's nice blaming the lack of cleanliness on the actual house itself, not the person that should probably be cleaning it.)

3. We live far from family, so when we go on vacation, we're gone for 2 or more weeks at a time. What the heck are you supposed to do with a dog for 2 weeks? I guess we could kennel it, but that just leads me to my next argument.....

4. I would have an incredibly hard time forking out the serious dough it would take to kennel a pet for 2 weeks. Along with that, I have neighbors that spend over $1000 a year on vet expenses. No thank you!

I keep putting them off whenever they ask. Maybe when my youngest child is 4 or 5, I'll begin to think about it. Lucy is in denial. She keeps saying things like, "When we get a dog I hope it has long hair so I can brush it." The last few months she has been using my belts as leashes for her little stuffed dogs. She walks them around the house, brushes their hair, and tries to convince her friends that they are, in fact, "real".

Lucy's preschool teachers ask the students questions every now and then and post the answers on a board so we can read their funny answers. A couple of weeks ago they asked the children if they had any pets and if not, what they would have if they could choose. Let me preface Lucy's answer by explaining that we have 3 dogs in our neighborhood named Maggie. Lucy told her teacher, "I want a dog........named Maggie. Sorry kid, not going to happen!

One of those days

We're having one of those days. Pink eye has made it's first entrance into the Ray home. Graham got it and he got it good. In not just one, but both eyes. I felt like such a winner mom when the doctor looked in his ears and said, "Wow! He's got roaring infections in both ears, too!" He's had a rough couple of days. Hopefully with the antibiotics he'll be back on the mend. No fun (although the hat makes it a little more bearable). I decided to take Lucy in today, too. Last week she complained about her ear hurting a bit, but then didn't mention it for a while. Yesterday when she got up I asked her, "Did you have a good sleep?" She said, "What?" I repeated my question and then she asked, "Mom, why are you talking so soft?" She had trouble hearing my requests during our game of 'Go Fish', too, so I decided I better take her in. She has major fluid in both her ears and one is infected. Awesome.

Today has been spent disinfecting toys and washing little hands over and over again. My absolute least favorite part of the day is having to hold Graham down so I can put the drops in his eyes. I literally have to lay on top of the poor kid to get them in. There's been a whole lot of TV watchin' and computer game playin'. Graham loves to sit on the chair with Lucy and watch her play her Nick Jr. games. I hope tomorrow we'll be doing better.

Easter Pictures

Here's some of the pictures we got of the kids in the Easter clothes that Grandma sent them.

I love this one of the two of them together. Graham found this random goose sitting there and the photographer snapped a shot. Too funny! This kid is such a crazy man!

Lucy is growing up so fast. It makes me sad sometimes if I think about it too much. She's so strong willed, but she is so lovable and sweet, too.

I sure love my babies!

Cruisin'

We got back Friday from our week of cruisin' with our friends, Tanna and Jed. We had a fabulous time! Our vacation started Monday when we drove to Long Beach and picked them up from the airport and made our way to the port so we could board our Carnival Ship (don't call it a boat....you'll offend the staff).

We spent Monday night getting used to the swaying of the boat and getting acquainted with our home away from home (as our cruise director, Karl, called it).

Tuesday was spent on Catalina Island. It was a little chilly there, but we had a great time. We rented a go-cart and saw the island the way the locals doWednesday we stopped in Ensenada, Mexico. We did some shopping while we tried to dodge the street vendors that wanted us to eat their fish tacos. We all wished we had t-shirts that said, "No fish tacos, no alcohol". I remember Jed saying, "No means the same thing in both languages!"
Thursday was spent at sea. This was the only day that was warm enough to get into swimsuits, so we sat in the hot tub for a while and then ate lunch in our robes.

The ports were a lot of fun, but my favorite times on the cruise were mostly on the ship. Each night we played games and had a show to watch in the auditorium. Here's a list of some of my favorite cruising moments:

-Playing Canasta as we listened to a worse-than-average piano singer belt out "Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown" and countless other classic rock tunes

-The 4 of us attempting to impersonate the aforementioned piano singer

-Eating ice cream after every meal and before every activity (24 hour ice cream machine)

-debating over whether or not the ice cream was frozen yogurt and which was better

-Getting to order whatever and as much as you want for every meal (I probably gained 5 pounds on this 4 day cruise).

-Jason proclaiming "ARRRR" every time we got to our floor (the Riviera Deck was labeled with a big letter "R" on the carpet).

-Jed's impersonation of a cigarette smoking parent he had a conference with. (He's a principal).

-Playing Bohnanza as we listened to a TV Tunes trivia game going on simultaneously.

-Tanna finding the miracle cure to seasickness with some little bracelets

-Lobster Tail dinner followed up by ice cream (of course).

-Saying, "Can you even imagine having our kids here with us?" As we watched other couples on the cruise struggling with toddlers and infants.

The list could go on and on! We had such a fun time just hanging out and relaxing with great friends. It was a much needed vacation and we're so glad we did it. We're ready to book another one. Everyone start saving now so you can come along!

I need to thank my wonderful sister in law, Shellie, soooooo much for watching our kids while we were gone. It was so good to see her and spend a couple days before and after the cruise with her. What a a relief it was, knowing that our kids were in good hands while we were gone. Lucy cried for a while when she left and anytime she started being happy again, she's stop and say, "I'm still a little sad that Shellie is gone". We love you, Shell! Thanks so much!

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Sunday Woes

What a day it has been. It started with Jason being called in to work when there was a chemical spill here on base. Not only was I going to be doing church alone with two kids, but it was Stake Conference. Awesome. I can't survive one hour of sacrament meeting going solo with the kids, so you can imagine how excited I was to do 2 hours on my own.

It actually didn't go as badly as I thought. I offered a pleading prayer before leaving that I would be able to keep my cool and Graham would be calm and hold relatively still. My prayer was answered in many ways. We sat by an awesome family that had amazing toys, books, and treats to help keep my kids entertained. The first hour and 1/2 was great, but then Graham realized that he didn't have to stay in the little row we were sitting in and began his escape attempts. We survived the ordeal and only left 10 minutes early (much to Lucy's dismay because she wanted to dance in the hallways until it was over).

I was actually able to listen to some of the speakers as I wrestled with the kiddos. I heard many messages that I needed. One sister talked about being better member missionaries. We need to pray for opportunities to share the gospel. and if we are sincere, they will come. I find myself praying for them, but then deep down, I'm scared they'll come. I know I need to take advantage of chances that I have to bear my testimony to others. My problem is that I don't recognize the opportunity until it has come and gone. I need to work on that.

The real Sunday woes began after church. Our neighbors called and invited Lucy to go play on their water slide outside. Jason told them that she couldn't today, but maybe next time. Lucy didn't even know they were playing until she walked out to the garage and saw them. She asked me if she could go and I told her that we don't play in the water on Sunday and she wigged out.........big time! She screamed, yelled, kicked, and stomped for over an hour. We told her that her crying was hurting our ears, so she needed to go to her room. She stomped her feet all the way back there, slammed the door and proceeded to yell things like, "My mom and dad are so mean! They won't let me play! I'm going to cry until they let me!" or "They get to have fun......I get to be bored!" or my personal favorite, "This can't be happening!" She'd come out after 5 minutes, ask us again, we'd say no, then she'd start wailing, we'd send her back to her room to start the cycle again. What a struggle. We suggested lots of fun things we would do with her, but she wouldn't be swayed. In fact, we told her we could make cookies and take them to our neighbors. She said, "We could do that after dinner." I said, "Why do you want to wait until after dinner?" She said, "Because I want to swim right now!" It's hard for her to understand why they get to play and she doesn't. I don't want her to hate Sundays, but can you blame her if she does? No playing with friends, no morning cartoons, no playing in the water. I don't really know how to teach her WHY we need to keep Sabbath Day holy. I've explained that Heavenly Father has asked us to spend Sunday with our families and to rest from the things we do on normal days. Any suggestions? Do any of you have the same struggle? What do you do?

Look Who's Reuniting!

I've been waiting 19 years for this moment! The New Kids on the Block are reuniting this summer. SWEET! I'm going to try and get a couple songs on my playlist in honor of the occasion. They're going to have a new album released in May along with their first concert on the Today Show. Does anyone else remember the Hangin' Tough days like I do? I wish I had my NKOTB t-shirt to show my support.

In the good old days, my favorite was Jonathan Knight (tall one on the left for those who weren't as big a fan as I). He was shy and humble, but had the voice of an angel. I saw the group on the Today Show this morning and I think Donny Wahlberg or Joey McIntyre might have to be my New Kids of choice this go around. Joey was fun to watch on Dancing with the Stars Season 1. Okay everybody....pull out your old cassettes and prepare yourself for a summer of New Kids! (Try to forget that they are all like 40 something now.....oh well. NKOTB forever, baby!)

Big Brother Bryan's Birthday

I wanted to give a shout out to my brother, Bryan, too. His birthday was a week ago today and I failed to give him a post until now. Sorry it's late!

Oh, the many memories I have of Bryan chasing me around and around the kitchen table after I had punched him or something. You may be picturing 5 and 7 year olds. Nope.......picture a 15 and 17 year old. Fighting came easily between Bryan and I, but we have always been really close, too. I remember the evening that I found out that I didn't make student government for my senior year and I truly thought my life was over. Bryan cheered me up and helped me have a little perspective. He's always shown genuine concern when I'm going through a rough patch in my life and he can always help me see that it's really not all that bad.

I'm so proud of Bryan. He graduates from George Washington University with his law degree next month! I wish he and Chelsey lived closer so we could see them more. We love them both so much! I hope you had a great day, Bryan!

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

Today is Jason Robert's 29th birthday! He was an April Fool's Day baby! We celebrated yesterday because he has to go to class tonight. Lucy and I spent part of the afternoon making his favorite chocolate chip cookies (I spent the rest of the afternoon being sick because I ate too much cookie dough). I orchestrated a scavenger hunt that he went on after work. He went to his car to find balloons and a poem that sent him around to friend's houses here on base. I called all of his family, a few friends, and my Mom and Dad to email me happy birthday letters for him to get at each stop. It turned out great! He was so surprised by it all. I could tell he really enjoyed reading the letters. He read them all again as we drove to Red Robin (his favorite restaurant) for dinner. He looked up after reading a few and said, "Wow....I'm awesome!" He, of course, was kidding, but I hope he got just a glimpse of how "awesome" we all really think he is.

Jason is an amazing husband and such a loving father. He's got a full plate at work and church, but he still does so much for us here at home and he always does it with a smile on his face. What a smile he has! I love it! Happy birthday, Jason! We love you soo much!