The Legacy Lady

Joe Turns Five

Joe's birthday actually started shortly after Christmas, when he brought me a birthday list full of everything he wanted for his birthday.  

All through January and February he would check up with me, "Mom, how's it going with my birthday list.  Are you working on that?"  He is such the little project manager and he isn't even in Kindergarten yet.

Then, a few days before his birthday he told me that he didn't want regular cake and ice cream.  I assumed he wanted me to make him an ice cream cake so I asked him which flavors of cake and ice cream he wanted and he got upset.

He then told me he wanted to have a brownie cake, mint chocolate ice cream, hot fudge and sprinkles with whip cream for his birthday cake.  This kid is so out of the box...

So that is what he got.  He must take after Troy who likes pie instead of birthday cake... The day before his birthday he told me we needed to go shopping to Walmart and then he directed me over to the party section where he tried to get me to purchase a pinata (which I politely declined to do), cake plates, dinner plates, party hats, masks and party blowers.  He also picked out streamers and balloons.

Back in January on Troy's birthday he woke up very early and came into our bedroom and asked Troy, "Dad, isn't it your birthday?" Troy replied that it was and then Joe asked him, "If it's really your birthday, why aren't there decorations up?"   Troy explained that he was born in the evening so his decorations didn't go up until the time he was born...

On the big day we didn't tell Joe he was born at 5pm...the decorations were up first thing in the morning...thanks to big sister Kate.  He came downstairs to this...

  

Kate even made him his own Robot Room Guard...

 

The best part was the party...Emily & Kate had fun....

 

Joe even got his big brother in on the fun...

The biggest surprise for me was how Joe blew out his birthday candles....

With his party blower of course! lol.

 

This kid is full of surprises and it is fun to see what he will say next.  Today he was sitting on my lap during church and we had a fun conversation...

Mom: Joe, how old do you think you will be when you are finally too old to sit on my lap?

Joe: (after thinking for a minute)  ummm, 68!

I leaned over to Troy and told him and Troy laughed and said, "That puts you at about 100 - I told you that you would out live me!"

This next year will sure be interesting - I can't wait to see what I learn from Joseph next. :) 

   

 
 
 

 

A few tidbits...

We are in the thick of landscaping.  We had someone grade the yard last weekend and Troy is getting ready to pour concrete this coming weekend.  Today I finalized the plans for the plants and grass so now to get bids on all of that...It is exciting to see it come together - but wow - a lot of work - a lot more on Troy's plate than mine - I am just grateful he is willing to do as much as he does - it really helps us to save a lot of money... 

Last Friday I came home to this view...

What is amazing is that across from the above view is this view (photo taken last fall)...

 

Speaking of home, yesterday we added a new family member to our home.  

I had planned on adopting a different cat from the shelter.  I was ready to do it, had the ok from Troy and then couldn't do it.  I went home and thought about it overnight because the last cat we adopted from a different shelter (The no-kill shelter that works with Petsmart in Utah County) was very, very sick from the get go - it was a horrible experience so we are a little gun shy with the whole pet thing.  

Anyway, the next morning I had a good feeling about it so Joe and I ran errands and had a business lunch with a friend in from New York and some other fun local ladies, and then I headed down to the shelter.  The cat we had planned on adopting was there...

 Right below this cat's cage was Sam in his cage.  Then I realized what a difference showing up a day later made...Sam looks a lot like another family member...

Max was the coolest cat we have ever had - we adopted him when he was about 8 years old and he was really great with our kids and just better than we could have ever hoped.  He was the first cat we had ever adopted from a shelter. 

Sam is a bit furrier and fluffy - kind of like Sassy on Homeward Bound...  I chose Sam over the other cat because not only was he familiar, he was already neutered and very clean which are both good signs for a shelter cat.  It has been less than 24 hours and he is so happy to be here - he is a little more demanding for affection than any other cat we've had but I think he will mellow out the more he is around the kids and gets all the attention he wants...

On a different note, if you have digital photos and no organization and wonder if it might be important, check out this post I recently wrote on digital photo organization on DS101.

 
 

    

Connections

With Library of Memories 2010 in full swing, I finally have the time to work on my photos.  I am currently in the process of moving my photo library from iPhoto to Lightroom.  During that process I have had the chance to look at a lot of historical images I have in my digital collection that I haven't viewed recently.  I wrote the following post on the trainer's blog at LOM but also wanted to share it here on my personal blog...

In 2005, my husband was recruited to a new company that required us to move from our home in Arizona to Salt Lake City, Utah.  We moved to a town called Centerville which is right near another town called Farmington - just about 15 minutes from my husband's work. 

I knew I had family history connections to Farmington.  My great-great-great grandfather was one of the first people to settle in that area and lived there until he passed away.  After a couple of years living in Centerville, I decided to venture out to the local museum just to see what I could learn.  

What I discovered were two notebooks in a glass case - one for my great-great-great grandfather and another of his son.  My grandfather kept several journals over the years and the family has most of them, but no one had ever seen this particular notebook.  The curator said that the two books had been left on her doorstep.  I asked her if I could come back and scan them - and thankfully she let me - with the condition that I share the images with the museum.

As I scanned the pages of this notebook (which was strikingly similar to notebooks I keep with me all the time for my random thoughts) I read his to-do lists, notes on his expenses while traveling and even his account of hearing of the death of his wife while he was away.   It was so cool to hold in my hands something written by my grandfather literally over a century ago.  

As I was moving photos this week, I came across those scans in my files.  This time when I saw the photos, I remembered how just last week my husband was joking with me about all my little notebooks and how I have them everywhere - my purse, my office, my nightstand...  I laughed because I realized that for me, being able to write my thoughts down helps me to remember them without even having to refer to them again.  The fact that my grandfather has so many different notebooks that have been found through the years must mean that the notebook thing just runs in our blood!  :)

So I created this layout to tell that story and creatively explain to any future in-law why the notebook thing is big for people in our family...

This is part of the reason I love the LOM process - so often people don't want to take the time to tag and organize their images - however, I can't tell you how much I would pay to have access to an organized digital library of all my ancestors' writings, photos, and life stories...which is why I put in the effort to do it for my family now - that way future generations will have the chance to enjoy it.

Happy Birthday Joe!

i was recently sorting through photos and came across this image - which I hadn't really considered scrapbooking until I saw it again.  I was trying to get the kids' photo on this bench (we take it there every spring) and Joseph wouldn't come over to the bench - he made everyone wait - but he was having so much fun keeping us all on edge. 

When I saw it again, I realized this photo tells a major story - as number 5 - he is the last one to get to our family and probably the one that has the most fun and is so adored by all of his siblings. 

Five years ago tomorrow he arrived - all ten pounds and 5 ounces of him - he was the biggest baby in the nursery and he had lots of brown hair with blond tips - it was almost as if he had an 80's frost job in the womb...

So many great memories with this guy - I thank God for him everyday...I am so lucky to be his mom.

The decorations are up (today we went shopping and he reminded me we needed to setup his party) so we have red streamers, yellow balloons, and five different character themes in the mix (Sponge Bob for the hats, Spiderman for the dinner plates, and Alien 5 for the cake plates).  Kate made a robot for the table - it looks cute.

Good times.

The Tramp That Was Sunk

Ever since we lived in Queen Creek and we saw a windstorm carry a neighbor's trampoline two houses over, Troy has wanted to do a sunken trampoline.  With a clean slate for landscaping in our new home, that has been one of his priorities.  

Coming from a farming background and growing up working on his grandparent's farm, Troy decided that he and the kids would dig it by hand - shovel full by shovel full.  So they started last fall and did a little bit and now that winter is thawing off, for the past month Troy has worked the most on it - with Hyrum and Grace pitching in the most out of the kids.  

However, when you consider that the hole had to be about 15 feet wide and almost three feet deep, that is a lot of dirt to move.  About halfway there, Troy saw someone's bobcat sitting in a lot and called the phone number and offered the guy $100 to finish the hole.  Amazingly the guy got it done in 1.5 hours - we won't talk about how long it took Troy and the kids to dig the other half. :)  It was character building, right?

Anyway, finally this Saturday Troy setup the supports around the hole so that it won't cave in - it is still a work in progress, but we are one step closer to finishing our landscaping than we have been.

 

Maybe He Will Grow A Moustache

Joseph accompanied me to the doc on Wednesday last week and they are so cool - they have a tower of fun things and they give kids a token as they leave to choose something.  Joe was fascinated with the moustaches - so that is what he chose.

We got home and he put it on and then he would flip it upside down and then right side up.  He explained that one way was the Luigi way the other was the Mario way - guess he is getting too much Wii...

Friday afternoon a snowstorm hit (the big fluffy flake kind).  Joseph was so cute - we came home from running errands and I was getting out of the car - it was freezing cold and Joseph ran out of the garage instead of coming in the house.

I went back to shut the garage and there he was, standing in the driveway with his arms outstretched - face looking to the sky - trying to catch snowflakes in his mouth.  

He was caught up in the moment and so joyful. I wish I had a photo of him - but I confess I didn't run for my camera - I just sat there soaking it in and enjoying the moment myself - he is such a fun four year old.  He turns five on Tuesday and I can't believe five years has gone by so quickly - I am so blessed to be his mom.

Emily & The King of Hearts

Emily is such a fun kid.  I know every mother should think their children are fun and wonderful, but there is something that is just special about Emily.  She helps us remember to have fun with the simple things in life. Just to give you an idea - here are a few of her recent allowance dollar store purchases...

 

These photos tell another story - how Emily lost all four top front teeth right around the same time.  They are growing back, all be it a little slower than she would like.

Another dollar store purchase:

A few weeks ago, Emily started having what we thought were panic attacks.  Her heart was racing and she was completely terrified of it.  The pediatrician thought it was anxiety as this was the first time it had happened.

Then they started to happen more frequently. The next few times, as her heart began to race, she wasn't afraid and would calmly explain that it was happening again - there were also other symptoms that came with the heart racing.  

Another visit to the doctor and and EKG, and then the doc wanted to monitor her heart for a couple of weeks while the incidents happen.  So a few days ago we went to the hospital and picked up the King of Hearts monitor. 

We are just a few days into it, but it is good to know that every time she has an event it is being recorded so we can get answers to what is going on.

Emily has been pretty resilient with it all, even carrying a notebook so she can note her own symptoms every time there is an event.  Today there just happened to be six, which is why she is on my mind right now.

I feel like everything is going to be ok, and we will figure it out.  I am grateful we have health insurance and good medical care.

Life is never dull around our house.  There is always something happening, something to do, something that needs attention, someone to spend time with - the joy of a large family...

Life is a Learning Process

It has been forever since I last blogged - but life has been extremely busy. :)

Being a mom has some serious perks and some serious quirks.  A couple of weeks ago the kids got the worst cold virus we have had in a long time.  And I was so good not to catch it.  Until I did and now I am down.  I was down all day Sunday and then felt better Monday morning (which was good because I had appts and basically ran errands all day).  Now I am paying for it because I feel like I will be down most of today...

I have been going through and moving my photo library to Lightroom.  That is an interesting process.  I am learning a lot and coming across some very cool images - like this photo of my grandmother in SLC years ago:

Last week I learned that my iMac hard drive was going out - luckily I run Time Machine and had everything backed up.  I learned from the guy at the Apple Store that all the things I was doing with tutorials in five different software programs and on two platforms was a little too much for my poor iMac.  

To continue to do tutorials like that they say I need to upgrade to a tower - which I can't justify affording right now with my time and investment into the tutorials vs. returns.  So I instead switched over to a Mac Book Pro laptop and I am simplifying how I do things and choosing very carefully which tutorials I do and making sure the work I am doing is compensated correctly - taking into account my costs for software, time, hardware, etc.  If it doesn't I am not going to do it anymore. :)  Life is such a learning process. 

It is difficult when you do work that you love, that you completely enjoy, to realize that you have to be smart and make sure you take care of yourself because if you don't it hurts your bottom line and energy and all the time away from your family...I am learning that sometimes you have to say No to things you love to do to say Yes to the things that really matter.

Right now I am enjoying a little downtime and starting to push through my own personal projects I have had on the back burner - they won't make me money - but let's just say that sometimes you do things you know you are supposed to do to enrich the lives of your kids and extended family.  

We are settling into our new neighborhood and ward.  I have to say that I wasn't one to be too excited to move, and this past summer of waiting to find our home was very challenging, but SO MANY GOOD THINGS have happened for our family since we moved here.  I am grateful for all the opportunities and friendships our family has been blessed with.  It is cool watching your kids bloom where they are planted.

Last week as I was driving home, I had to stop and take this image with my phone - the light was just perfect on the mountains with the iced over lake - It reminds me of how lucky we are to be where we are and how happy I am to live in such a beautiful place.

The snow is starting to melt and the ice is cracking on the lake, melting slowly.  Now that we can see dirt in our front yard again, Troy is gung-ho to get moving on the yard.  First we will sink the trampoline and next will be concrete.  We had a rock wall garden built in our front yard a few weeks ago and it is fun to see what we plan taking shape. 

At this point we are just waiting for HOA approval and then things should go pretty quickly.  The HOA here requires the front yard to be done within 90 days of closing.  Since we moved in so close to winter we were able to get an exception so now our deadline is May 31st.  I hope the weather cooperates.  Sometimes we get snow all the way into May. :)  Hopefully not this year!

Now that I have written a book, I will try to be better about updating this blog.  I am looking forward to a hiatus from most things digital for the next 6 months or so - l am pretty burned out and really need to recharge my creative batteries.  Lots of change but it is all good.  Learning as I go.   

Project Completion!

31 video tutorials, 8 Digital Templates, 3 handouts and 1 Audio Message later the project is complete!  Two months of working like a crazy woman, some of it in the closet, and I am finally finished with the class prep for Library of Memories.  

Monday I couldn't take the closet anymore and finally gave in to Hyrum's request to have a larger room in our almost finished basement.  (He gets the whole thing basically to himself - AIR HOCKEY table and all until we finish the flooring and doors).  He loves having his own space and I finally have a room with a door and no sloping ceiling.  Yet I am still sitting in here with piles of stuff all over - hoping to spend this weekend catching up on laundry, cleaning our house, having some fun with the family and settling into my office.

We also celebrated Troy's birthday this past week  - I will post pics from that.  We had so much fun.  We are so lucky to have him in our lives.

Ok - off to grab my celebratory IBC root beer from its 20 min. chill in the freezer and hang out with the kids and Troy playing on the Wii!  If I had Martinelli's I would so break it out right now...

Won't think about Monday and the other projects I have to finish - good news is by the time LOM starts, I should have some time to catch up on my personal projects I have had on the back burner for far too long.

Life is good!  

 

Buried...

I just realized I haven't taken very many photos lately.  I have been really busy working on tutorials for this class.  I even had to move my office into the hole in the wall my mom calls "The Harry Potter Room" which is just a glorified name for a closet.   Really - look at this room - I can't even stand up inside it - only sit down to my desk...

 

The good news is there is power in here and even a light fixture so I can shut the door and work - even with the kids playing in the loft.  No more telling everyone to be quiet all the time. Although I do slouch a bit more. :)  

I am excited for Library of Memories to start.  Just a few more weeks to finish all those tutorials...hope I get done in time!