The Sutherland Chronicles

Thank you, Sister...

2009-02-25T13:44:00.001-08:00

I would be a horrible person, or should I say an even MORE horrible person, if I did not thank the heaven sent ladies who took care of my emotional and physical needs over the last couple of days. I do not doubt for one moment that they were inspired by the spirit to give me exactly what I needed. When I came home from school and swimming lessons on Monday I found a beautiful bouquet of a dozen peach colored roses waiting for me. When I pulled myself together, I called to thank her for the generous gift only to find that she was having a bad day herself. That, my friends, is the power of service.
After I cleaned myself up, another equally inspired lady invited me and the boys over to spend the afternoon with her and her family. She even offered to tuck me in for a nap! We laughed, I griped and later we all shared a pot of delicious barley soup. What a beautiful day. I don't know what I would do without the kindness, patience and understanding of my "girls." They really take care of me.
Our Relief Society president told me one evening that when we go visiting teaching we should always look at the sister and, in our heads, say, "This woman has problems." I never forgot that. No matter how a sister may seem when you look at her, every one has their own issues; their own "bag of rocks" you might say, that they are toting around with them. None of us are exempt. Ultimately it is how we find true happiness.
So, thank you to all of you who help me shoulder my bag of boulders. Please let me know if you need help carrying yours...

Two steps back...

2009-02-22T23:38:00.001-08:00

OK. It is almost one a.m. I can't sleep because I just had a blow up with Damon's mom. I was so angry, I had to put my hands on my legs to hold them still because I was shaking so bad. I could sit here and tell you all of the awful things she said, and all the things I said back to her, which were all true and in strictly self-defense. However, all I can think of, is that I failed. I've been doing so great these last three months, and I blew it. I couldn't take one more accusation, one more negative comment and one more excuse for her own failures. So, I told her exactly what I thought and I upset myself and I know I upset my Heavenly Father.
Although I stand by what I said, I regret the way I said it. And you know what? I really thought I would feel better, but I don't. I feel like I left the high road for the brush in the ditch. I hate that ditch...
So, what do I do? She can't keep treating me the way that she does, and I am quickly running out of cheeks to turn.
It's been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day... Maybe I'll go to Australia...

A Much Needed Break

2009-02-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

Our family has been very fortunate to make and keep great friendships. Those who we count among our closest always seem to know when we need a call, a girl's night away or simply a break from the day to day. Last month some of these rescuers invited us to their family cabin in Cascade. We needed a little family get away desperately and jumped on the opportunity. So, to these friends, a huge thank you. You don't know how much we needed this weekend!

Apparently Jonah was having way too much fun... Cole was just excited to play in the snow and watch Star Wars. Aah, the simple things in life...

With Cole, even the pouty face is a photo op.

Jonah is always mommy's little shutter bug. He knows just what to do when I pull out my camera. Lots of practice, huh Jonah?

All is calm, all is bright, Part Two...

2009-01-19T18:45:00.000-08:00

When my brother and I were kids, we used to go sledding on the hill across the street from my Grandparent's house. It is actually a slope, not a hill, that comes down from the irrigation canal that runs through Southeast Boise. With the blessing of snow for the holiday, I wanted to relive the memory of sledding from 15 years ago and take my children to our special slope. As my brother David and I climbed to the top with Jonah and Cole I murmured to him, "Hmm, this hill seemed a whole lot bigger 15 years ago." However, that did not stop us in the least. Damon, David, the kids and I and even my Mom took turns "careening" down our slope. A perfect day for our special holiday break.

If you can believe it, Cole is actually asleep in this position. I was making dinner in the kitchen while the kids watched a show and noticed that he had been in this position for a very long time. I ran for my camera and captured this classic child moment.
Jonah's brain never ceases to amaze me. Here, he has used his Kinex and marshmallows to create an automatic marshmallow roaster. This was his own idea and his own design. Move over Steve Jobs!
Never before has evil been so cute. Here Cole wears another costume from Christmas. He wears this Darth Vader outfit around the house almost daily and walks through the halls humming the Dark Side theme song with his hands behind his back. I love the little piggy toes peeking out from under the suit.

Well, there you have it - a brief synopsis of our Christmas break. We pray that you and yours enjoyed the merriest of Christmases and hope that God blesses all of us in this new and exciting year. Have a beautiful day!

All is calm, all is bright..., Part One

2009-01-15T13:07:00.000-08:00

I love checking all of my friends wonderful blogs and finding that most of them are doing the same kinds of posts that I am - "Holiday Catch-Up." Over the last month we have had many fun and memorable events and, gratefully, I have had my camera for most of them. Don't leave home without it, I always say. Enjoy the pictures and notes. I hope that your holiday was as magical as ours. God bless you all!

One absolutely beautiful afternoon we decided to make cookies. The boys love getting little helping jobs from me and the had the most important job of all on this day - unwrap all of the chocolate kisses and smush them into the peanut butter cookies. They did a great job, even if there were more kisses in their tummies than on the cookies.
Sunday would not be Sunday without a nap. I just don't think this is what Damon had in mind. All three of them fell asleep on the couch in a wonderful pile of boys. Can you believe they stayed like this for over an hour?
For the first time in I don't know how long, we had a white Christmas. I felt like I received my Christmas gift early as we spent much of the month of December under a thick blanket of white. Once I got used to driving in the snow in the early hours to take Jonah to and from school, it became a wonderful treat.
Our big kindergartner, Jonah, was in his first school program for Christmas. He did an awesome job. The kids learned all kinds of new holiday songs, including a few Hanuka songs. I loved it when Jonah ran around the house singing about the "festival of lights" and the draedel.

I loved looking at our Christmas tree at night when it glowed so perfectly. I took this picture as Damon and I were going to bed on Christmas Eve. I made a promise to myself that this year I was not going to be running around frantically the night before Christmas, cooking, wrapping, etc. So, I didn't. We spent the day together with our family and stayed up watching movies and having snacks (wink to my cousins...). It was a perfect day, just the way I wanted it to be.
For Christmas, Santa filled a large Rubbermaid tub with costumes for Jonah and Cole. I just have to say, Santa is a genius for hitting the after Halloween sale at Target...
We've discovered that it is the quality, not the quantity that counts in our kids gifts. Once Santa finds and delivers that one hugely desired item, the rest of the gifts don't even matter. For Cole this year it was a Jabba the Hut toy. For Jonah, Japanese Pokemon toys. Believe me, Santa had to get very creative to find these.
Speaking of creative, I feel fully within my rights as a daughter-in-law to post this picture on my blog. Mostly because I know that Damon's mom, Cindy, never reads it. And who, you may ask, gave her this lovely little item? Well that would be Damon's dad, her ex-husband. Wink, Wink...

Well, stay tuned everyone. This is only the beginning of our holiday memories. However, my kids are reminding me that I have been on the computer for quite a while. Time to take a break. Tune in next time when our heroine will be posting more holiday fun in a single bound!!

Thanks for Giving...

2008-12-18T14:03:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome Thanksgiving this year hosted by my very brave, very patient cousins, Billy and Rhonda. They recently bought a new home in Lehi, Utah which was remarkably big enough to house 25 people, if my count is right.
We all had so much fun together at Rebekah's wedding in July, we just had to get together again. Those of you who have followed my blog may remember the last time all of us got together. Does "Norovirus" ring a bell? It does with our family. Nearly everyone who attended the wedding lunch at PF Changs came down with this horribly violent "curse." Nearly everyone, that is except me. I'm not sure how that happened. I remember saying my prayers when everyone was getting sick and begging the Lord, "Please don't let me get sick. I have to much to do..." Have you mom's ever said prayers like that? I'm confident you have.
Well, this gathering was no exception. When our family arrived at Billy's on Wednesday night, we immediately got the kids ready for bed. I noticed the toilet in "our" bathroom was a little sluggish, but didn't think anything of it. The next morning, it was a bit worse and when I sought out a plunger, the "mess" seemed to increase in severity, if you know what I mean. I notified the homeowner, but we were all having so much fun, we just closed the door to the bathroom and told everyone not to use it until we could fix it. Later that evening, disaster struck...
One of the children in the course of the day had either forgotten, or did not get the memo, that the bathroom was off limits and had gone ahead and used it. No one knew until there was two inches of raw sewage in the bathroom. Not only that, it was pouring down through the vent into the unfinished basement. I was so proud of all of the cousins that rolled up pant legs and waded through the mess to help clean up. More over, I was in awe at Billy and Rhonda who shrugged their shoulders and said, "Don't worry. These things happen." They even kept a smile on their faces when we woke up in the morning to see that the beautiful walnut floor outside of the bathroom had buckled. They set a new standard of patience for me.
We went on to have great fun shopping at IKEA and Tai-Pan (whoo-hoo for me!) and spent the evening at Temple Square taking in the gorgeous lights. My brother's new apartment is right behind the temple. You literally walk out his front door and the temple is right in front of you. What a blessing for him. My parents we able to join us for the weekend as well. My mom had the blessing of taking a whole 4 days all for herself and didn't have to take care of anybody but her.
So, here is to another adventure-filled holiday with the cousins. I can't wait to see what happens next time!

When ye are in the service of your fellow beings...

2008-12-14T14:16:00.000-08:00

As I get older, I love attending church on Sunday more and more. This may be because my children are getting older as well and I can actually sit through sacrament meeting with fairly little interruption. This week I had the opportunity to discuss some upcoming service that I was participating in. I was surprised at the reaction. I was told that I was actually enabling the person that I was serving. That by doing the service I was not encouraging the person to help themselves. It actually made a little bit of sense and even though I was determined to follow through on my promise, I started to feel a little bit bitter. This was going to take time away from my family and from all of the things I needed to get done for the holidays...

As I sat in sacrament meeting this morning, a sister spoke about compassion and I suddenly was brought back to the Spirit. I was gently, but strongly, reminded that the services I was needed for were not for those I was serving. Those acts of service were to benefit me and my family. I needed to be of service so that I would be humbled, so that I would be grateful for my blessings. The help that I was providing was meant to be a lesson for me and those around me.

"Oh, I get it!!" I said in my head. I was cheered to be reassured, but disappointed in myself for not thinking of it sooner. Disappointed for letting someone else try to discourage me from doing the Lord's work. I also wish I would have thought of it while the original disparaging conversation was taking place. I'm sure it will come up again. That is the beauty of Relief Society, right?

So, in this season of giving, I share with you this lesson that I learned this week. I hope it helps you in your efforts this season and in those to come.

Birthday Boy Jonah!

2008-12-12T14:59:00.000-08:00

While I have been neglectful to my blog, I ask for it's forgiveness as I try to catch up, once again, over the next few days.
We just can't get enough of birthdays around here. Jonah just recently turned 6 and for the life of me I can't remember where I put those last six years. As I watch my children grow, I try to revel in every moment and conveniently forget that I am aging as well. Not that 31 is that old, it's just closer to 40 than I would like to believe. Can I get an "amen?"
Anyway, I digress. Jonah had an awesome birthday! We had an Indiana Jones themed party for him and Cole (I just couldn't do two parties) and each of them invited a few buddies. It is amazing to me how 11 small people seem to occupy and fill every corner of the house. We invited new friends from Jonah's kindergarten and for most of them it was their first time in our home. Of course everything was an adventure, just as Indiana himself would have had it. Enjoy the pictures from the party. I couldn't have done it alone. My sweetie and my brother were both quite instrumental in the success of the day. I had this great idea to let the kids shoot blow darts at a scary native instead of the usual "pin the tail on the whatever" game. I gave each child a straw and a q-tip that had been cut in half and dipped in poison (ketchup). It made the perfect dart to blow at the bad guy, which was beautifully created by my illustrator brother, David. Damon was less than thrilled with the mess that it created, but he was very patient and waited off to the side with a cleaning rag. Good man...I know this picture is dark, but I made a pretty cool Indian Jones hat cake. The "sand" around it was crushed up graham crackers and I placed little jewels around it. I forgot to buy a number 6 candle, but I had a 1 and a 5! Thanks to the dollar store, each child got their own Indiana Jones hat, a candy whip and a bag of treasure. We even sat at the table and made paper snakes and our favorite librarian (Buddie) read stories. It was great afternoon. I hope Jonah loved it as much as we did. Happy birthday, Indiana Jonah!!

Cole is how old?

2008-11-10T19:04:00.000-08:00

Look at that handsome little face. Can you believe he is already three? Saturday our little Colie had a big birthday. So many things have changed over the last year. When he turned two, Cars were the big thing. Now it is Star Wars. He made out like a bandit this year and acquired quite a collection of "guys" as he calls them. We even outfitted him with his own light saber (life saber, as he calls it). I especially love it when he runs around with the light saber and sings the Star Wars theme song. What a little champ.

Last year Cole wanted a Lightning McQueen cake and I did a decent job. This year he wanted Yoda and I was pretty pleased with the outcome. I regretted after I was finished that I had used chocolate cake instead of red velvet cake for the Yoda head. That would have been awesome when we cut into it! Oh well.
The whole day was great. We went with Buddie and Boppo to see Madagascar 2, took pizza to Grandpa Gombert's house, ate cake, opened presents and then went home and watched Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. What a super great day with just our little family.

We are so grateful for you, Colie, and are so happy that you are such an important part of our family. You are our favorite three year old.
Happy Birthday, Little Jedi!!

Happy Halloween, Aarg!

2008-11-09T11:55:00.000-08:00

I see because of the obvious lack of comments on my last post, except for Nancy (thanks!), I need to return to the lighter side of my life for my blog posts. So here's our official Halloween entry. We decided this year to go as pirates and have Cole dress up as Peter Pan. He's pretty fierce with a sword, so we knew he was up to the challenge. Halloween is the beginning of my favorite time of year. October through January are the months that I long for every year. I love the spirit in the air and in my home and look forward to all of the family time we get. It is just so warm and toasty all over. Hmmm, toast.It was actually my first year to get "Halloween-ed out." Between parties with friends (Rogers throw a wicked party), school parties, church parties and the actual Halloween night, I was pretty tired of being the "Buccaneer Beauty," although my sweetie seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. We are very fortunate to have children who only enjoy trick or treating for about two blocks. Then, when their buckets are about halfway full, they declare themselves done and we head home. I love that the greed of Halloween candy has not set in. I hope it never does.Well, I hope you all enjoyed this entry better than the last one! Have a super fun Fall! It is the shortest season of all but, in my opinion, by far the best. Love you all!!

A New Day...

2008-11-06T14:00:00.000-08:00

Alright friends. Buckle in because I'm going to write some unpopular things in this entry. But, when my children look back at this family journal, this is one event that I want them to remember. I want them to know how their mom felt and the special memories our family shared on November 4, 2008. And while I know that I am publicly outing our family as Democrats, those of you that really know and love us, and I mean really know and love us, will understand and it will hopefully give you pause to think.

At dinner time on November 4th, we turned on CNN. We don't usually have TV on at dinner, but we considered this a special exception. We explained to the kids what we were watching. That the new president of our country was going to be decided tonight. Unfortunately my kids did not get the chance to see us vote. We took the opportunity to vote absentee through the mail to avoid the lines. However, in the spirit of celebration that we were making our marks, that we were showing appreciation to all those who lived and died and continue to do so for our freedoms and rights, I walked out to the mail box, placed my ballot inside, raised the red flag and yelled into the empty street "Rachel Sutherland has voted!!!" and silently said a prayer that this election year would be different.

So, back to election night. We pointed to the lower right corner of the screen where electoral votes were being tabulated. We explained to the kids that Obama needed 270 votes to win. At that point the count was 8 to 3 in favor of McCain. After dinner the kids ran upstairs to play Candyland while Damon and I settled in to watch till the bitter end. Periodically, Jonah would run down the stairs and look through the banister to check the count on the screen. However, the kids had to go to bed before the results were announced and the next morning, Jonah ran into our bedroom, jumped on our bed and asked "Did Obama win?" I gave him a hug and said yes to which he said, "I vote that Obama will have a great time as president." I vote for that too. Just not too much fun.

While some may only see that a Democrat has won over a Republican, I choose to see the amazing change that has come over our country. The vast majority of citizens actually feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves, that their votes actually matter. There is a sense of hope, of risen spirits that our country desperately needed.

It is time to set aside our fear. I know that it is comfortable and easy to do what we have always done, to vote the way that we have always voted. That luxury is gone and was never really an option in the first place. What a blessing we have in America and in the Gospel that we have our agency. That those of us raised in the church can take what we have learned, what we know to be true and put it to work to make good decisions, ones that ensure our freedoms and please our Heavenly Father.

Do I think Obama is perfect? Heck no. He's a man and he's a politician. Not the most stable of combinations. But right now, he is our best shot at making the necessary changes that need to happen to our economy and our government. The fact that our family chose to vote Democrat has zero bearing on our testimonies and our beliefs. It doesn't make us any less in our Heavenly Father's eyes, simply because we didn't do what everyone else around us was doing. Our excitement does not only come from who was elected president, but at the prospect of something new and different for our world. Nothing great was achieved by people who simply did what was done before.

I want to live my life like the famous bumper sticker, "Quiet women rarely make history." I challenge you to back away from gossip and assumptions. Do your own research if you have a question. I know it is much more interesting to listen to radical statements and assume the worst about someone, but instead, encourage the wave of positive thinking that is sweeping the country and do your part to keep it moving.

I pray that I'm right. I hope that my children look back at this entry and say, "That must have been hard for Mom and Dad to do, but I'm glad they did it."

Two more kids?

2008-10-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

My dear sweet husband has been after me for some time to have another child. I smile, maybe laugh, give him an assuring pat on the back and go back to the endless loads of laundry, dishes, fruit snack wrappers and yucky little drips around the toilet that come from living with three males. While I may have a hand in the laundry and the dishes, I claim zero responsibility for the bathroom mess.

So, my dear friend Michelle and I came up with the next best thing. She and her husband had the faith to allow Damon and I to watch their children, Thomas and Taylor, for 5 days while they went on vacation to Japan. It is only day two and things are going great. I actually had to pause for a minute this morning when I realized I actually had to do Taylor's hair. I've had it pretty easy with two boys. A little water and some gel and we are out the door. However, I was very proud of myself. When Michelle called to check in this morning at 7:45 a.m. I was showered and dressed, the children were dressed and fed, backpacks were ready by the door, the dishwasher was unloaded and loaded with the dirty breakfast dishes, beds were made AND the kids were quietly watching a morning cartoon show. Ta-Da!! Go ahead, ask me what time I got up this morning to make that all happen. 5:00 AM!! Oh, well, at least I was proud of myself.

The following few days will detail what we do while Michelle and Emmett are away so that they can check on their little ones through, as Tommy says, cyprospace. Have a great time on your trip guys!! We love you!!

Cole, Thomas, Jonah and Taylor are bowing down to the "Shine to Media" as we call it. Cartoon Network came out with a Star Wars cartoon and it gave me just enough time to whip up a big pot of spaghetti. Thank you George Lucas!

After baths and jammies, everyone came downstairts to decorate Halloween cookies. Exactly what they needed right before bed - more sugar...

Taylor loves to be nude, much like her Aunt Roo (just kidding, kind of). Bedtime is no exception. Emmett and Michelle warned us that she likes to take off her jammies and to promise her a candy if she could keep them on all night. I took it one further and promised her chocolate chip pancakes in the morning if she stayed dressed. When I checked on her when I went to bed, this is what I found at the end of the couch. Apparently she has heard about my cooking and decided she could risk it.

Invisible Poop

2008-09-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about Jonah is his ability to tell a story. Honestly, there are times that I wish he would just cut to the chase. I don't need to know every last detail. But I have to remember, no matter how insignificant it seems to me, it is absolutely critical to his 5, almost 6, year old mind. Today, I was grateful that I had the patience to listen to this story, because if I had cut him short, the story simply would not have even been remotely as hilarious as this one he told me over lunch today. Bear with me as I try to share it with you as it was shared with me:

"Mom, you know what happened on the playground today? I had to go potty, and I felt a little bit of poop come out. (I'm silently saying "Oh no.." in my head) So I went to the bathroom and pulled down my pants but there was nothing there! But I could still feel it! When I pulled down my pants again, there was something glowing! And ya know what? I think it was invisible poop!"

The only thing lacking in this retelling is the expressions on his face as he told this tale. He told it with such conviction that I was actually thinking, "Wow, invisible poop. Who knew?"

Go Lightning Lions!!

2008-09-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, I think we are up to fun thing number 4: Jonah started soccer! I had no idea that they made cleats, balls and shin guards so small. Jonah's first game was last Saturday and these boys were the picture of good sports. The team that they played from Longfellow Elementary had very obviously been playing for a while and were more than likely quite a bit older. "Slaughter" is the word that comes to mind when I think of the score. But I have to hand it to the self named Lightning Lions. They ran out there and had an awesome time. Practices have also been fun as they have played "games" with Coach Nate to teach them the basics. Jonah is confident, excited and continuing to learn how great it is to be on a team.

Here, the Lightning Lions are checking out the other team, trying to figure out their stragedy, I mean strategy.

Getting their game faces on...

Jonah helping his team mate, Jonah (yes there are two of them!) on the field.

Way to go Jonah!!

2008-09-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

Well, Cole is down for a nap and Jonah is playing Lego Indiana Jones, which makes now the perfect time to blog. Ok, time for fun thing number three: My birthday! I have to admit, I feel a little funny blogging about my own birthday, but we had so much fun I just have to share. My birthday was on the 1st, which was Labor Day, which allowed for a little extra fun. My brother David was in town (fun to the extreme) and my awesome husband planned a great party for me and some of our closest buds: My parents and brother, The Schultz Family, the Egbert Family (who only partially came due to illness :( ) and the Ricks Family. We played fun games with the kids and had cake and ice cream.
But we didn't want the fun to end and since there was no school or work the next day the Ricks and Schultz spent the night!! We just rolled out sleeping bags and blankets and let the kids fall where they were. It was great. The whole night simply proved even more that you don't need booze to have a fabulous time.
The first game was an egg race with small wiffle balls instead of eggs. Sorry, groceries are just too expensive to waste. Here the teams ready themselves for the whistle.

Chip Schultz, as usual, does everything with style and grace. Fortunately, no bones were broken with this one.

Even when the game was over, the Tommy and Jonah would not give up. I love how they insisted on following the rules of not touching the "egg."

Speaking of style and grace, here is my brother David with my Dad getting ready for the three-legged race. Look at the length of those legs! Hardly a fair contest when compared with their competitors.

And these were the competitors: Jonah and Jack...

The birthday girl trying not to be too embarrassed that everyone in the house was singing to her and taking her picture...
I'm not sure who was more excited that I got a Wii: Me or the boys. Let's put it this way; it was in the house for two days before I had a turn to play it.

One of the finest gifts I have ever received in my life was given to me on this, my 31st birthday. It was a photo bag, but not just any photo bag. The Schultz family took time, love and care to put truly priceless photos in the bag for me. Photos that would make me laugh, cry and reminisce. Photos of Chip half naked when he was a teenager. No, I'm not kidding; your just going to have to believe me. Don't ask me to see it. I have been sworn to secrecy and was also asked to surrender said photos at the end of the evening. But the memory will live on forever. I know because the images are permanently burned into my cornea...

Thank you everyone for an awesome night. I will never forget it and am so grateful that I could share it with you. An especially big hug and kiss to my sweetie for giving me the best birthday gift ever: time with people I love.

Horray for the Big K!

2008-09-09T14:29:00.000-07:00

OK friends. Time for fun thing number two: Jonah started Kindergarten. As many of you know, it was much harder on me than it was on him to leave Jonah that first day at the "big kid school." However, he ran out of class the first day and immediately asked me when he could ride the bus by himself. Apparently there is no separation anxiety there. My answer? "Heck No!"

Jonah's teacher is Mrs. Young and we already love her. She only stands about as tall as my shoulder and she is a firm believer in teaching the kids independence. Very cool.

I was a little embarrassed about asking Mrs. Young if I could take her picture, but she assured me that I was not the first one to ask.

Many moons ago when I started the first grade, my mom took my picture on the front porch of our apartment with my arm around my little brother. I just couldn't help but try to recreate the moment with my little guys.

Go White Pine Timberwolves! Kindergarten Rocks!!

Where to begin...

2008-09-08T18:11:00.000-07:00

I have become so consumed with all that is going on around me that I don't even know where to begin when it comes to filling everyone in about the last 3 weeks. However, I'm going to give it a shot and will try to post something new and fun over the next few days. Too put it all in one post would make my head, and yours, explode.

So, fun thing number one: Our yearly camping trip with the Ricks family. This year it was in Stanley, Idaho. Did you know that even in the dead of August, when all around the country people are sweltering and sweating in 100 degree heat, the nights in Stanley get down to 28 degrees?! Can I just say @#$%^&*!! I like cool weather probably more than most, but give me a freaking break! So imagine with me, if you will, two families, 8 people: 4 adults, 4 children hopped up on s'mores and Capri Sun crammed into one small trailer. Add to that three children (Jonah, Tommy and Taylor) sleeping in the overhead bunk, Taylor sleeping perilously close to the edge. If you think any of us got a lick of real recuperative sleep, you are smoking crack. But let me tell ya, we had more fun than that proverbial barrel of monkeys. Enjoy the following pictures. I sure enjoyed taking them.

The kids went to a "Junior Rangers" class Saturday morning and learned about the local wildlife as well as "respecting nature." Here Tommy and Jonah hold their "warm fuzzies" that they made in class.

Here Cole accurately portrays how unbelievably cold the water was on the lake.

Jonah loves the water so much, by the end of the morning he was almost naked, only in his underwear, wading around and catching fish in a plastic cup. He'd bring them in to shore to show us moms sitting in lawn chairs in the sand, the cup shaking so badly from his shivering that some of the fish actually jumped out of the cup. Be free fishies!!

And of course, Nude Taylor, putting sand in her hair. She is such a little mermaid, you can't help but smile when she plays.

The Fruits of Their Labors

2008-08-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

My children celebrated a momentous occasion this week - the eating of the first tomato off of our plants in the back yard. Jonah had been asking me all winter if we could plant a garden and, not wanting to dig up our already landscaped yard, we compromised and bought large oak barrels for our "starter garden." As I dragged the barrels from the trunk of my car to the back yard in the spring, cursing at myself for not waiting until Damon got home, I was doubtful that we would be able to grow anything. I have a horrible history of killing plants. It's hard enough keeping my children alive; other living things are just too much pressure. However, we pressed forward. One barrel became the home for two patio tomato plants, the other, with a trellis, for green beans. I dubbed Jonah the official waterer and watched as he became very dedicated to the cause. He learned to have patience, that the tomatoes were not going to appear overnight. Even worse were the green beans that went in as seeds. We had to wait even longer for that blessed first sprout.
Now three months have gone by and those little tiny tomato plants are heavily laden with golf-ball sized fruit. Still no beans on the beautiful vines, but we remain hopeful.
Last Sunday we had a lesson in Sunday School about faith, from Alma 32. We learned that faith, like our tomato plants, has to be nurtured. We can't go a day without watering our plants in the sweltering heat and likewise cannot go a day in our lives without doing the same for our spirit. I know for myself that I have days where I only need a small sip of "water" to strengthen me, but there are other days when only the hose on high will sustain me. The reward is when that fruit appears, ripens and we get to partake.
These two sweet boys were so thrilled to run into the kitchen holding up that perfect first tomato. Of course I had to rush them back outside to take their picture with it. Then we immediately came back inside, cut it in half, and I watched those little gardeners partake in the fruits of their labors. Gives you hope for the future doesn't it?

Goin' to the Chapel of Love!!

2008-08-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had a semi-family reunion in Portland when my cousin Rebeckah got married in the Portland Temple. If you've never been to that temple and you find yourself in the area, do yourself a favor and just walk around the grounds. It is gorgeous!! My cousins and I picked up right where we left off and that always includes lost of "making fun of Rachel." Oh, well. That's how they show me they love me...I hope.

The newlyweds, Rebeckah and Adam Orton. Aren't they cute? Boy, were Damon and I ever that young? Nope, we were younger...

We had a ball together and even had some grown up time as well. Burgandy, the daughter of my cousin Billy who is 14, who was very generous and patient, watched the little ones while myself, my cousins Daniel, Billy, and Joanna and our spouses went on a hike up to Punch Bowl Falls in the amazing Oregon forests.

These are our "Look Ma!" pictures as we laugh in the face of danger on the edge of the path going up to the falls. Pictured here are Billy and Rhonda, Joanna, Daniel and Heather, Me and Damon. Joanna's husband Steve is standing on the edge of the cliff taking the pictures. Way to take one for the team, Steve!

Here is myself, Daniel, his wife Heather, and Joanna on the opposite side of Punch Bowl Falls. The water is about the same temperature as a glass of ice water. We braved it across the knee deep water, loosing most of the feeling in our limbs about half way across. The smart ones stayed on the other side to take pictures.

Speaking of smart, this is what happens when guys get together and egg eachother on. One guy ends up doing something really crazy while the others look on laughing. Remember, this is ice cold water. I think Steve just wanted to make sure he ended up on my blog. Good thing he and his wife are done having kids...

I wish I could show you all of the fun things we did that weekend. Perhaps one of the most memorable activities was when half of our family (most of whom stayed together at Joanna's house) came down with something called the Norovirus on Saturday night. I later learned from a friend that Noro means "curse" in Japanese. No wonder! It is perhaps the most violent flu I've ever seen. Not to mention a real downer to the trip. It made its way through the family over the next week. We later found out that the PF Changs where we had the wedding lunch had been shut down the day after we ate there because there were so many complaints about people getting sick. It was serious enough that I ended up playing phone tag with the Washington County Department of Health for a couple of days. It was so contaigous that when we came home my mom and my best friend came down with it. Ah the guilt!!

However, it was a dynamite trip. Well worth the drive for sure and we definitely can't wait to do it again...without the crazy Japanese curse of course.

Shoot! I forgot about the 4th of July!!

2008-08-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

In all of the excitement about our cruise, I failed to mark the fun 4th of July we had before we left for Mexico! It was one of those days where we actually had too many fun things to do and it was hard to pick which ones we would attend. We started off the day with a fun pancake breakfast at the church. It included a bike parade and Jonah rode his two wheeler for only the second time. As we were going down a slight hill, the bike started to gain some speed and Jonah started to panic a bit. I kept calling to him, "Step back on the pedals!" but he was too scared to hear me. Instead he bailed off the bike. That's right, he actually jumped off the bike and we all watched it go down the road without its rider. Not to mention, Jonah skinned up his knees pretty good, too. Oh, well. It makes for a good story and a good lesson, right?

Next, we went to a rockin' hot party at our friend the Schultz's. They sure know how to throw a party, that's for sure. There is nothing like barbeque and an inflatable water slide to make for Independence Day excitement. Here's Cole taking a little break with, what else? Candy!
Cole was a little bit wary of the water slide, but Jonah as adventurous as ever took to it like a duck to, well, water!!

And there was no way that Damon was going to let the kids have all of the fun. He borrowed some trunks and jumped right on there himself!

Later that evening we hooked up with Buddie and Boppo and went to the city's 4th of July parade. I would stand in the heat and tolerate way too many politician's floats to see the Highlanders play their bag pipes. I always get a little misty when they play "It's a Long Way to Tiperary."

After the parade we went back to Grandpa's house to have our own little fireworks celebration. Here's Boppo showing Jonah that you have to pull really hard on those little champagne poppers. Thanks to Boppo for teaching my 5 year old the finer nuances of explosives.

No matter how loud or how late, the Sutherlands are always up for a party!

Happy late 4th of July everyone!!

Viva Mexico!!

2008-07-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it! Damon and I actually took a vacation alone. I couldn't believe it when we were packing. Still didn't believe it when we were on the plane and was just starting to come around by the time we boarded our cruise ship. But boy was it awesome! We went on a cruise to the Mexican Riveria which included stops at Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Villarta. I hope you enjoy the pictures. We sure took a lot of them. Everything was beautiful; we just wanted to remember all of it.

One of the first things you have to do when you get on a cruise ship is prove that you can get off of it in a hurry. An alarm is sounded, you go to your cabin, put on your lifejacket and report to a designated area on the main deck. I got to be the "line leader" for my group. It all took me back to the first grade...

The first day of the cruise we were on the ship the whole day. It gave Damon the opportunity to climb the rock wall on the ship. He was like a spider he was so fast and quickly rang the bell at the top.
A triumphant Damon.

Damon on Lover's Beach in Cabo San Lucas. This is the side of the island the guide told us NOT to swim in. This tide coming in is as close as I would let Damon go.
Here's Joanna as beautiful as a supermodel at a cave entrance on Lover's Beach. The guide told us that in this cave, two come in and three come out. Hmmm....
Our guide was brave enough to let me drive the boat. Hang on everyone!!
This is Damon laughing in the face of death as he watches me drive the boat to Lover's Beach.
A view of Lover's Beach from the ship. We took those little boats on the bottom right, called tenders, to the shore.

Me trying to strike a pose on Lover's Beach in Cabo San Lucas. Steve is that guy in the back yelling "Shark!!"

The four of us on the deck of the ship at sunset. After we saw this picture, we noticed the sunset was so perfect, we didn't think anyone would believe it was real! This is the same deck were we saw dolphins and whales swimming alongside the boat. It was absolutely a gift from Heavenly Father to see those beautiful creatures in the wild.
Who are these sexy people?
When we woke up in Mazatlan, the weather was rainy and overcast. However, that has never stopped us in the past. We got off that ship as fast as we could, found someone with a boat and paid him $30 to take us to this island, Deer Island, and loan us a kayak and oars (of course), lifejackets and snorkeling gear. We were alone on this beach for about 2 hours before our fellow tourist found us. The ocean was as warm as a bathtub. Gorgeous!!

Here's Damon being his handsome self in Puerto Villarta. We learned that you never go anywhere without your swimsuit.
I just loved this statue right on the pier in Puerto Villarta. I wish I knew what it was for. This picture doesn't nearly do it justice.
Damon and I went for a walk through some of the residential area in Puerto Villarta. This little gazebo and worn out table were nestled under a beautiful lush canopy of trees. You can see by my bedragled hairstyle that it had been raining quite a bit. That didn't stop us from doing anything!
This hacienda was part of a large ranch where we went horseback riding. They also made tequila here as well. We did not sample, but were very eager to see the different flavors and how they are made.
Here Steve, Joanna and Damon (and myself behind the camera) stand outside our ship as we wait for our bus to get the ranch for our horseback riding lesson. Can you see the fear in Joanna's face? She was very brave on our ride, even when her horse bit Steve's horse in the rear end and Steve's horse kicked Joanna's horse right back.

Damon and I with our Head Waiter Thawnee, from Thailand. He was always sure to stop by after we had dinner and chat with us about our day, what we were doing the next day and of course always willing to bring one or two extra desserts!! The crew of the ship work for 5 months straight before getting two months off to go home and visit their families.
Every night we were greeted by a new towel animal in our cabin. I loved it so much I wanted to take some of the fun home to the kids. I went to a demonstration to learn how to make them myself. Bathtime became a lot more fun at our house.
In Puerto Villarta we went to a fabulous restaraunt called "The Blue Shimp." The four of us ordered the shrimp boat which came with 4 different kinds of shrimp in a flaming pirate ship. Definitely worth the 1,050 pesos!!
Of course we had to have margaritas, virgin style of course. Here is Joanna sipping her coconut margarita. We had a great time ordering them until we discovered that they still charged us $6.50 a piece even though they did not have alcohol in them. Oops...
You can tell I got a little bit of sun, eh? Here is Damon and I in Puerto Villarta goofing around a bit.

This is a fraction of our wonderful 10th Anniversary celebration. We had so much fun and were so glad that my cousin Joanna and her husband Steve tolerated us for 7 whole days. But you know what? None of it was as fun as coming home to our sweet babies that we missed so much.

I'm embarrased to say...

2008-06-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago I explained to my husband why Girls Nights Out are so important. I shared with him that being with other women like me, who love me and are in similar life situations such as myself, make me feel normal. It is very easy to get into the day to day life with your family and spouse and start to feel like maybe you have a few screws loose. Something in the electrical box of your mind has blown a fuse. However, when you get together with others, you realize that no, everything is operational and working according to plan. The strange thoughts you have throughout the day are really not so strange. Quite the opposite, they prove that you actually have a functioning brain with opinions, strengths, weaknesses and the like. The things that I struggle with, others are either currently struggling with as well, while others have defeated the foe and have advice to give. As you see, these nights are vital to the survival of motherhood. Now, given what I have just shared with you about the friendship and the bonds that we share, please do not judge me as you read the following:

As you all know, I am a fairly level headed person. Very few things rile me up. I tend to see both sides of the situation and hesitate to judge lest I also be judged. I'm not one prone to anxiety, or general freakings out. However, this week, I had my first "episode" and for those of you who have had this before or experience them on a regular basis, my deepest and heartfelt sympathies go out to you.

I learned at the beginning of the week that a good friend of mine is unexpectedly pregnant. While I rejoice with my friends who have had babies or are expecting babies, I am secretly glad that I am not them. I have done my bit and brought two beautiful boys into the world. They are relatively well behaved and look good with Damon and I on a Christmas card. I enjoy the fact that I can go places with them and not bring large bags of supplies. They are fun to take on adventures and are likewise eager to experience life. Perhaps you may think I am lazy for not wanting to increase my family, for resting upon my laurels, as it were. Frankly, you can think whatever you like. I firmly believe that there are those who are born to be mothers of large families, and then there are those of us who fight to keep the few we have from killing each other and themselves while maintaining our own sanity. (As I write this, the boys are screaming at each other to "STOP IT!!")

But upon learning that my friend was pregnant, I went home, shared the info with my hubby and went to bed. I woke up later with a racing heart and extreme anxiety. Oh my holy H! What if that happened to me? I reasured myself that this could not be. I have taken appropriate measures and I wasn't even "late." I laid back down only to have the same incident happen repeatedly over the next couple of days. Sudden sweats, racing heart, light headedness and severe anxiety. My hands started to shake yesterday for no reason at all. It got so bad, I went to the Dollar Store last night and bought a pregnancy test (and a box of chocolate cookies). Even in crisis, I am still a cheap-o. Of course I brought it home, took it, and it was NEGATIVE. (Insert sigh of relief here.) While the heart calmed down, the shakes ceased and I got a full night of sleep, I now feel like a moron. However, I am a non-pregnant moron...

So, those of you who feel like I always have it together, put this post in your file of remembrance. And don't laugh; it could happen to you too...

Special Days

2008-06-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of weeks we've had some fun special days. One of them is Jonah's preschood graduation. The last three years have gone by so quickly. They all have for that matter. I just stared at him tonight while he read me a book. Read me a book!!! I wish I could take credit for it. But I have to give all the credit to him. He just decided he wanted to read and did it. I marvel at him and his brother constantly and can't believe that we are responsible for bringing them into the world. I pray that they live outside the box and make a big sweeping mark across the world.

We also had two very special birthdays: Buddie and Grandma Cindy!

We were very lucky to be able to spend the birthdays together, a treat that we get rarely and hopefully never take for granted. We love our Grandma's, even when they load up the kids with sugar right before they send them home to us, buy them obnoxious toys and tell them yes to pretty much everything. We love you and hope it always stays this way!

PS: Make a note: Never give Grandma the candles that re-light on their own. It only makes them angry and/or pass out. This is only fun if you enjoy either one of the above. And if you do, well, you're weird.

Get out of town!

2008-06-16T19:43:00.001-07:00

There is a very good reason why I have not blogged in the last couple of weeks: Too busy! Fortunately, it has been fun busy and not drudgery busy. There is a difference, you know. Perhaps one of the funnest things we've done is take a Memorial Day trip to visit some of my family in Oregon. What a gorgeous place! So green, so lush, and they have an IKEA!!

Here is Cole being his absolutely cute self in one of the falls we hiked up during our mini vacation. Who cares that it is May; anytime is a great time to wear a "mummy" shirt!
One of our outings was to visit the Portland Zoo. Jonah was snacking on a bag of Mike and Ikes when he caught this bear's eye. I do believe he was thinking he had found a nice tasty snack, and a bag of candy to boot!
The Portland Zoo had a great lorakeet exhibit. For a small fee you could purchase a cup of juice that the birds like to eat and if you were patient enough, they would come and rest on your hand for a snack. Poor Jonah tried so hard, in vain, to get a bird to sit on his arm. However, Mom doing it was the next best thing.
While the grown ups, and I use that term loosely, went to scout IKEA (it was awesome!) Aunt Jan stayed back to watch the kids. Here she is teaching my children what she is learning in college.
This skill she was born with naturally...
Here is an actual unretouched photograph of Damon and I alone. Dang, are we good lookin' or what? The beautiful Columbia River is behind us. The rain held off for one whole day so our family could have a great day of hiking, playing and being together.
I have trained my children to respond accordingly when I pull out my camera. All I have to do is say "OK, be brothers" and they stop what they are doing, stand together and smile. Now, if I could just get them to put their dirty clothes in the hamper...
Our boys again, being brothers, in front of one of the many falls we visited.
Lots of sights means lots of driving. Here is Cole catching a few Zs in between adventures. There ain't no way he's giving up that box of crackers.

The boys again, nesting at the zoo.

What a great get-away! We couldn't have asked for a better time, better weather or better company.

Ladies Man, Jr.

2008-05-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had our friends over for dinner. While this may not seem like a big deal to most, when their daughter, Josie comes to visit, we take out the fine china, or at least the clean dishes. We didn't think that it would start this early, and given J's affinity to burping, thought that it might not happen at all. However, Josie has become the "main squeeze." A few months ago J came to me with a very serious look on his face and said, "Mom, Josie's coming. I need to get some flowers." Well, now we know that someone is teaching him right!

However, I fear that J is becoming a ladies man. At church last Wednesday, the dad of J's friend Maddy asked him if he thought his daughter was cute. He quickly gave a vehemently positive reply. Maddy has specific allergies and J has become accutely aware of them, asking me in the grocery store if any of the items we purchase have soy or nuts. I'm so glad that he can read now. All I do is hand him the package and make him read the ingredients himself.

Fortunately, J is very discrimating. At this rate, we won't have to worry about who he brings home in the future. Keep it up, big J and always keep them guessing!

Goofin' Around

2008-05-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

Today was such a beautiful day. Who knew we'd actually see the beginnings of summertime weather. I was starting to worry...

Beautiful days remind me to blog, hence today's entry. I downloaded pictures from my camera that, as usual, have been sitting for awhile. I found this great one of Daddy and the kids making quite a ruckus in the kitchen with a big batch of bubble wrap. We celebrated our 10th anniversary on the 25th of April and bought each other a gorgeous picture of the Salt Lake temple. We had to order it and when it finally arrived, it was packed in all of this wrap. When I opened the box, the kids were ecstatic... All three of them. They immediately laid it out and started dancing all over it. Poor little C was upset because he didn't weigh enough to pop any bubbles. No worry, we all helped him out!

Then today, after playing out in the sunshine and the kiddie pool (yes Mom, and plenty of sunscreen :) the boys came in for a shower. I surprised them with costumes that I had set aside. They went nuts. In a good way, of course. So we had to have pictures. Who knew that Peter Pan and a Pirate would be friends. There is hope for the world after all...

The Bedtime Mantra

2008-05-09T10:31:00.000-07:00

When J was a toddler, we did the usual things when it was bedtime. Teethbrushing, stories, prayers, songs, etc. However, as he got a little older and more aware, we had to start reassuring him of certain childhood fears such as the famed monsters, bad guys and the like. But over time, the list grew longer. He would see a movie that had something a bit scary in it, or a book and want to be reassured that those things also were not going to seize him in the night. Not only has the list grown longer, but it has evolved. Some things are not scary any more, so they have been removed from the bedtime mantra. Likewise, with awareness comes more trepidation at times, so new items have been added in place of the ones conquered. Below is the list. I thought you might get a kick out of it. Remember, each item is in reference to something specific, no matter how strange it may seem. It is repeated by us every night, even though J needs to help Daddy with it sometimes. Here's to a good night sleep with none of phantasms noted below:

No monsters

No Mike

No Sulley

No Boy

No blue monster

No green monster

No pink monster

No yellow monster

No rockets

No robots

No bad guys

No sharks

No dragons

No lions

No pirates

No Star Wars

No monsters

The Bee has left the building....

2008-04-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

Our family had a momentous occasion last week. C lost his binky. We absolutely tore apart the house looking for it last Tuesday, when suddenly D and I paused. Did we really want to find it that badly? C is two and he definitely doesn't need it. When he turned one, we only let him have it at night. It was not allowed to leave his bed. He was very cool with this, but insisted on having it to go to bed. I even remember driving 40 minutes into town when we were camping last summer, after loosing the bee, to replace it in order to ensure we all got a decent night's sleep. However, this time we decided that it was time to carpe diem. It was obviously a sign from the fates that it was time to move on.
When he asked for it, I used the usual parental response. "Oh, you don't need a bee. Those are for babies. You are a big boy." He informed me that no, in fact, he was not a big boy, he really was a baby. I also had a few tricks in my bag, so I quietly started to put away the toy cars he was playing with. "Well," I told him, "Babies don't get to play with cars. They also don't get to eat cookies or fruit snacks. And they don't get to..." and the list went on. Well, I had him.
Now, it has been an entire week and he hasn't even asked for it. We are praying that we are the first ones to find it. No matter. I'm pretty confident that it has found a home in the vortex of lost children's items. I firmly believe that each home with small children has one.

Batter Up!!

2008-04-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

I can't say "batter up" without thinking of the movie, A League of Their Own. It is one of my favorite movies of all time. OK, sing it with me: Batter Up! Hear the call! The time has come, for one and all, to play ball! That one and "There's no crying in baseball!!" It's all great and we are so excited to watch J play every week.

The change in him has been dramatic. He is confident, outgoing and he is actually out-eating his brother. Who would have guessed?

J has a great coach, Coach Chip. He is so patient, encouraging and loving with all of the kids. Best of all, he does it while teaching the kids teamwork and respect for each other and their elders. J is learning awesome life skills as well as the game of baseball. Well worth the $65.

J had the honor of being the very first one of the season at bat as well as the first one to score! Way to go Big J!

OK, be honest. Is this not the cutest catcher you've ever seen?

"We are the Broncos! The mighty mighty Broncos! And everywhere we go, people want to know, who we are! So we tell them! We are the Broncos that you heard so much about! Coaches lock their players up whenever we come out! Hey!!"

I had enough!

2008-04-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

Well, as you all may have read on my previous post, I have been less than delighted with the weather that we have been having. Someone forgot to tell whomever is in charge that all of us stay out home moms wait with baited breath for sunshine, warmer weather, and the ability to send our children outside when they are driving us to the brink of insanity. So, I packed up the children, bought 3 plane tickets and took us all to California to visit Grandpa George and Grandma Elizabeth.

Brave, you say, to fly alone with two small children. Nay, I say! They were brilliant travelers. Even the flight attendants all commented on what great little guys I had with me. I was so proud of them. Never have you seen two children so excited to have a small bag of trail mix and a half of a can of soda. When we left Boise on the morning of April 1st, it was 32 degrees. When we touched down in California, it was almost 70. I almost kissed the sidewalk when we got outside. Below are some fun things that we did during our week with my grandparents. Enjoy, and remember, it is always summer somewhere in the world.

The boys were very conscientious and, when instructed, read in great detail the safety instructions that provided directions in the event of a water landing. I think they were the only ones on the plane that did so.

Tuesday night we were able to watch Grandpa sing with is barbershop group. They were awesome! They even sang the most beautiful version of Love at Home. I've only heard it at church, so to hear these men sing it in a completely different setting was a real treat. They are going to sing it in a competition next month and I really hope they win!!

Grandma has two little parakeets that the boys just loved. I almost had a heart attack when she took the cage off of its stand and let the boys play with them on the floor. I think the birds were sweating it too.

Of course we had to have story time every night with Grandma. She is a very good reader; Jonah was impressed.

It was also Grandma's birthday while we were visting. We picked out some fun new jammies for her and then went out to dinner to celebrate. Happy Birthday, Grandma!!

Our last night in California, we stayed in a hotel close to the airport. Boppo got us a really nice room at the Holiday Inn Express so Grandpa and Grandma wouldn't have to get up early in the morning to get us to our flight on time. The kids were thrilled to have a new place to destroy. Of course, we had to have some jumping on the bed time.

Thanks for the fun visit Grandpa and Grandma! We love and miss you so much!!

Spring Break?

2008-03-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

OK, so am I the only one who is going nuts this week? I had all of these beautiful plans to take my children to the zoo, the park, and other various OUTDOOR activities. What the heck happened? We woke up to sun this morning, but it is about 20 degrees outside. Yesterday, in between brief peekings of sunlight what did we have? How about rain, snow and last night, very painfully tiny, sharp HAIL!! Oh Hail!!

I am so grateful to the Lord for blessing us with the moisture we so desperately needed in the valley. What a blessing to live in such a beautiful land rich with activites, freedoms of all kinds with safety and health...

That said, I am feeling totally jipped of my spring break! I couldn't even spring clean because I had already done most of it last week when our family was coming for the weekend. (Did I actually complain that I don't have anything to clean?) And on top of it all my kids have had croupy, phlemy coughs all week. I make note of all these critical feelings here because this is my family journal. I will look back on this years in the future and probably laugh at myself...maybe.

I have to stop writing now, my kids are screaming at each other. I think we are all getting cabin fever... Too bad I don't have a cabin to have it in...

This picture was taken two weeks ago when we, anticipating spring, made bird feeders out of Crystal Lite canisters. This week's freaky weather washed off the peanut butter and seed, of course.

I'm making Doup!

2008-03-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

Our oldest has had so many exciting things happening in his short little life, that I have neglected to share with you all how equally wonderful our youngest child is. He recently informed me that his favorite things are "pi-wrates" and "skewetons." He loves to play with his "guys," various small figurines that he takes to bed, in the car, and anywhere else we will let him.

Somewhere along the line, we have failed to inform him that he is younger than his brother. He has to do everything the "elder" one does. Which accounts for the more frequent bumps and bruises.

The most recent hilarious thing he told me was just this morning. He and his brother were playing in the bathtub, which usually last for about an hour, and he slipped on his bum and briefly went under the water. When I quickly righted him, he insisted on getting out and screamed, "I drownded!!" I kept calmly reassuring him that he really had not drowned. Poor little guy...

He also loves to rock out, a trait you all know he gets from me. At the McCall Winter Carnival he jammed near the stage of a live band. The area by the stage quickly became a mosh pit for toddlers and he quickly returned to mom and dad.

He is quite the little gourmet as well. He loves to "cook" and frequently makes "doup for Donah," (soup for Jonah).

Perhaps the most wonderful thing he does is when he tries to sign "I love you." Instead of the usual sign, he makes the "ok" sign with his little fingers. It has become our new way of saying "I love you" as a family. And so I say the same to all of you tonight. Sweet dreams!!

It is only the beginning...

2008-03-18T13:02:00.001-07:00

Well, like most of my journal writing, I've become a slacker. So many things going on, so little blog time, right? However, I would be remiss if I did not make note of a momentous occasion at the Sutherland house. Our first born, our offspring, one of the lights of our life, J, registered for Kindergarten last week. We are so excited for him, but we realized that this is only the beginning of an 16+ year journey for our family.

He was quite the little man as he went to each station and showed how he knows the basics: rhyming, letters, numbers and the like. Too bad they didn't have a station for storytellling, paper crafts, math and writing. He would have aced them all. We tried not to notice that the "welcome to Kindergarten" t-shirt he received went down to his knees.

Well friends, its the beginning of the end. No more going on vacation whenever we want (like we ever did that in the first place) or sleeping in during the week. Hello to schedules, homework, sporting activities and fundraisers.

Actually, I'm pretty excited. It will be a fun new chapter in our family's life and we are going to hit the ground running. J is going to do great and we all can't wait to hear about his new adventures at the "big kid" school. Good luck. You're a Big Kid now!!

A mother's lesson in humility...

2008-02-27T15:39:00.000-08:00

Do you ever see people around your neighborhood walking their dogs? Do you see them with plastic grocery bags, usually knotted and containing something relatively heavy? I often feel ashamed for those poor people. Forced to trail around behind their dog with their make-shift, poorman's pooper-scooper. While I am glad that they are taking responsibility for the cleanliness of their neighborhood and beloved pet, I secretly wish they'd just make their dog do his thing in someplace where I don't have to witness it as I drive by. Snobbish, you say? Perhaps...

Fast forward to today. What a fun day we had. We attended our last day of gymnastics, as t-ball will be starting shortly and had lunch at Burger King with Aunt Shell, Little Dude and Tater. The children played in the kiddie land until they were actually sweating. We were having so much fun, we decided to take them to a local neighborhood park to continue the wild rumpus, so to speak. While J had frequented various restrooms on our day of fun, he had not done the one necessary thing that really cannot be done on a tree. I'm sure you are all following me so far.

While the park we went to is probably one of the best in the city with great climbing toys, picnic tables and RESTROOMS (!!!!!) , the powers that be chose to close said facilities for the winter.

@#$%&*}!!!!!

It would of course be at that moment that J had to use that potty, RIGHT NOW!!! After trying to brainstorm solutions with the co-mom in attendance, the only thing we could come up with was to emulate those selfless pooch owners and their grocery bag porta-potties. I don't think I have to paint a picture for you, but I was laughing so hard at the sheer rediculousness of the scene, which took place privately behind the locked facility, that J had to ask me to stop before he could go into the bag.

As I walked, with bag, knotted at the top with it's weighted contents, to the garbage can, I couldn't help but think, "Man, this would be great experience to put on my blog..."

J, I hope someday you can forgive me for sharing this uniquely priceless moment with the world. I really do love you...

Time to pop that bubble...

2008-02-21T10:11:00.000-08:00

My heart has been very full lately... I think we hear that phrase frequently. We hear it at church, with our families, with those we love of our faith and not of our faith. But today I say it to you. Over the last year I have become very conscious of the world. Does that sound wierd? Since I have become a stay at home mom (whatever that means), I have definitely become quite complacent in my own little world. I am wholy consumed by my children, my spouse and my little bubble that I have surrounded myself with. Funny, if you have ever tried to look through a bubble, you see that the world outside is pretty distorted.
Today, I see how fortunate I am. I never had a lot of friends in high school. I was the braces and glasses girl that always sat in the back. A friend took me out for my "sweet 16" birthday out of sympathy. (Thanks again, Brad.) I had one or two really close friends that shared the horror of secondary school with me. (Thanks Steph).
Today, I received a response to an e-mail from my friend that was very silly, just about plans for the weekend. When I read it a spirit of overwhelming appreciation to the Lord for my numerous friends overtook me. Especially the ones who love me even though they know all about me. I love my friends that let me disagree with them. And I can be very disagreeable. Who don't hate me because I'm so far from Perfect I can't even see it from here.
I wish I had pictures of all of you to put on this post. I wish you could see the tears that flow when I think of you. (Actually, I don't. My mascara is everywhere.)

Thank you for being you, and for letting me be me.

Happy Love Day!

2008-02-14T10:55:00.000-08:00

Why is it Valentine's Day and I am scrubbing my floors and cabinets, doing laundry and still in my grubbies? I have my cute V-Day clothes laid out for after my shower, if I get one, and my children look darling in red. I got up early this morning, did my Tae-Bo and had my protien shake. What did my children have? Pink heart shape pancakes lightly dusted with powdered sugar and a glass of chocolate milk. What did my adorable 5 year old say to me when he saw the beautiful presentation of the breakfast? "Mom, the pancakes are not pink enough." Everyone is a critic...

Ah, the life of a mother. Thankless, frustrating, often times ulcer inducing, but the hardest job you'll ever love. Right?

I do love my family more than life. My children are funny, brilliant and dang good looking. My husband is a wonderful father, provider, help-meet and companion and pretty darn good looking as well.

I even love them when they take pictures like this...

Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone!

Ninety is Nifty!

2008-02-11T09:30:00.000-08:00

This weekend we celebrated Grandpa's 90th birthday. It put D's 33rd birthday last weekend into real perspective. We had to catch Grandpa quick while he was smiling for this picture. We all just love him to pieces. He always keeps us on our toes asking us interesting questions, often requiring a decent amount of thought. He always encourages us, loves us (most of the time) and supports our aspirations (again...most of the time).

Perhaps the funniest thing he says to us are his "qualified compliments." Usually, when anyone cooks for him, especially me, he tells me the food is really good, that I'm a great cook, but I need to use more salt. This weekend, for his birthday, I gave him jars of homemade applesauce and salsa. When he sat down to the tacos Mom made for dinner and opened up the salsa, I sat and waited for the inevitable..."Please pass the salt." When he tried it and didn't ask for it, I asked him, "Does it need more salt?" "No," he replied, "But it does need to be hotter." Apparently I didn't put in enough jalepenio peppers. The last time I made him cookies, I took them right out of the oven and put them warm on a plate and laid it by his chair. He was grateful, told me they tasted great, but they were too warm and too soft. Can that be possible in a chocolate chip cookie? :)

I wouldn't have Grandpa any other way. I love that he likes what he likes and never pulls any punches. I love that he is so opinionated, even about things he knows very little about. I love that he loves me and my family, especially my kids. I love that he loves Grandma so much and that even though he doesn't really believe in any religion, he knows that Grandma is waiting for him on the other side. Small steps, small steps.

Happy Birthday Grandpa; we love you!!

The Artist

2008-02-07T09:19:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, in preschool, J made this drawing. As per our usual routine, we went through his backpack when he got home and we discussed what he did that day and what he brought home. His drawings usually include himself, a monster, a dog (usually Grandpa and Grandma's), or his family. Not this particular day.

This small picture does not do the original justice, as I'm sure my brother can attest. The figure on the left is J and the ball in the middle is a flaming bomb. I, myself, loved that the bomb is menacing yet smiling. It is being hurled at a "really bad guy." I also love that J is so big in the picture and the bad guy is very small. I hope he is able to translate that into the real world when he is confronted by a bully. Hopefully, he will not have the resources at that time to make a flaming bomb...

How blessed we are to have J in our lives and our family. He is such an example of kindess to other children and keeps us laughing. I love picking him up from play dates only to hear the mom ask me if she can keep him and how well he played with their kids. We are all so proud of him and what he does for our family simply by being alive. J, I hope in 10 years when you are having a really bad day, that you will read this and know how much we all love you....

Happy Birthday, Handsome Man!

2008-02-05T12:53:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we celebrated D's 33rd birthday. What a blast! We had a great group of friends join us for hot dogs, chili and football. What a great combination. My only regret was that I wished more friends could have joined us. Unfortunately, our house simply would not accomodate everyone in the area that is important to us. That and my heart could not handle any more kids. Holy frijoli! (Did I spell that right?) I wish I would have taken a picture of the toy room after Hurricane Birthday Party came through it.

I especially loved cake time. Using a coupon, of course, I bought the "All American Chocolate Cake" from Costco. Those of you who have had it can attest to the ooey, gooey, goodness of this confection. Four layers of dark chocolate cake with equally dark and yummy frosting between each layer. Oh, and don't forget the shaved chocolate bits covering the outer edge of the cake. The best part of the cake time? D, being so sweet and mindful of the children, told the group around him that he would need help blowing out the candles, which happened to be the trick candles that sparkle. When the candles wouldn't go out, the children took it upon themselves to spit upon the cake to make sure the light was good and extinguished. Did that stop us from cutting it up and sharing it with family and friends? Heck, no!

D and I had a good laugh that evening because the previous night and after church the next day, D spent quite a bit of time figuring out how to wire our satelite TV to our movie screen upstairs. About 2 hours and $150 worth of cables and plugs later, D found success. We could watch the Super Bowl on the big screen! Now the funny part.... Did anyone come upstairs to watch the much anticipated game? Nope. Everyone wanted to stay downstairs to talk. So periodically, D would come up and check the score and report it to us motor mouths downstairs. Oh, well. Now we'll be ready for next time. Is anyone up for a General Conference party? :)

Jonah was put in charge of the party this year. I should say he volunteered. He was very excited to make and deliver invitations and plan the food to be served. He did a great job delegating to his "staff," also known as Mom. D's family and my parents joined forces to give him what he has been wanting, a new lap top. I think he was really pleased and excited. I'm also enjoying the ability to look up recipes in the kitchen and shop the Target and Kohl's clearance web site with a blankie on the couch. Ah, technology... Now, if I can just find someone to actually DO the cooking, I'll be on to something... Happy Birthday, Sweetie!!

My abs hurt!!

2008-02-01T12:05:00.000-08:00

Well friends, I wanted to mark today by sharing with you in this very public venue that my abs hurt today! As millions do, D and I set the goal this year to loose the extra pounds we gained by being married. Funny, no one told me I would gain weight when I chose an eternal companion. Shouldn't there be a disclaimer somewhere about that? It should definitely be part of the ceremony. "Do you take this woman to be your wife, in sickness, in health, for richer, for poorer, in obesity and bloating?" I don't think you'd get as many "I do's."

Anyway, back to my abs.... I've been getting up at O-dark-30 to join my good friend, Billy Blanks, in a bit of Tae-Bo to start my day. I simply love delivering upper-cuts and round-house kicks to the imaginary bad guys... Maybe not so many bad guys, but the really rude people who call me at ungodly hours wanting to consolidate my "debt."

Last night, I am thrilled to report, my pants almost fell down as I was loading groceries into my trunk in the Win-Co parking lot. I wasn't wearing a belt with my jeans and they almost found a new home at my ankles. Thank you Billy!! What would I do without your loud, abrasive and "too ripped to be real" self?

What is my goal? Well, I'm not going to tell you. Frankly, I'm afraid I won't meet it and I will be held accountable to all of you faithful blog readers. It's too much pressure. As long as I feel and look good and am not embarrassed to be in front of all of you beautiful moms at the neighborhood pool this summer, I will consider myself successful.

So, if you find yourself up early in the morning and need to call me about something...Don't worry, I'll be up with Billy...

We Love Winter Carnival!!

2008-01-29T10:29:00.000-08:00

January would not be January if we did not go to Winter Carnival. Per tradition we went with our best friends the Ricks and the Hulls. What a great weekend of memory making and more snow than anyone could ever need. The drive up was very uneventful, but the drive home left a bit to be desired. I think McCall wanted to keep us there. That would have been fine by me.

The kids were older this year which meant we could have a bit more fun. J and C had no fear when it came to sledding with Daddy down some pretty steep slopes. (My mother is having a heart attack right now...)

This was also the first time we saw fireworks at Winter Carnival. Because it was so dark so early, they were shot off at 6:30 at night. Which means the kids got to go to bed on time! Yeah for Mommy and Daddy. The fireworks were shot off on the lake and we were able to get really close. Imagine everything stark white with new glistening snow and extraordinary fireworks right above you. Everything was lit up, including our kids faces! What a special memory.

The best part was fun together with no interuptions. No work, no appointments or meetings. And of course it wouldn't be Winter Carnival without a Sequence tournament!

We already can't wait until next year. Thank you, dear friends, for making it a wonderful vacation!!

We believe in Eternity...

2008-01-28T13:34:00.000-08:00

Since this blog is a journal of our family, I would be neglectful if I did not note the passing of our dear prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley. When I heard of his death I felt nothing but relief and joy for him to be reunited with his eternal companion. What would we do without the gift of eternal families. What a terrifying thought to belief that our families end after death. No parting for us; we are in it for the long haul.

President Hinckley was the first prophet that I wanted to have in my home. I would have loved for him to sit on my couch, eat my cookies and tell me about...everything! I never felt like he could "judge" anyone, but loved all of the members unconditionally and pleaded to the Lord in their behalf. What a blessed man and how blessed we all are to have been a part of his legacy in the gospel. I am sure that he and his wife are having quite the reunion in the Celestial Kingdom. Maybe they will visit Grandma....

We Miss You!

2008-01-28T13:20:00.000-08:00

O.K. I know it has been a while since I blogged. However, I believe I included a disclaimer when I started that I might not be very good at this. Anyway, today is my day to redeem myself.

Last week we had to say good-bye to one of our favorite families, the Hunts. Anecia has been my dear friend for quite a while and her absence is definitely noticed around here. I bet if you asked him, D would even say that he misses the spanks....or not. :)

We all hope that you are loving Texas and we all wish you the very best in your new family adventure. God speed and don't forget to blog!!

Handsome Boys

2008-01-17T17:34:00.000-08:00

Could they BE any cuter! We took this picture the Sunday before Christmas. Thanks Aunt A for the beautiful outfits...I mean handsome outfits! They sure love being brothers. The older they get the more fun they have together. Just yesterday they were pretending to be doctors with their Mini MD kit, also from Aunt A. All of their "guys" received a full work up. We are pleased to say that they are all in good health. We'll try to remember this picture when they are screaming about going to bed!!

He's a big kid now!

2008-01-16T12:09:00.000-08:00

Today J had a really great time at gymnastics. He started a brand new class with the big kids and he did awesome! He even swung on the Tarzan rope across a giant river of squishy blocks. J also walked across a long, very high balance beam with no help at all! C and I were very excited to watch him.

J also likes to draw, color and play on the computer. His favorite game is Dance Dance Revolution which he got from Santa for Christmas.

J is in his last year of preschool. Next comes Kindergarten! He's excited to go to his Buddie's school where she is the librarian. Keep checking our blogs to learn more about J adventures!!

Love you, Grandma...

2008-01-15T12:53:00.001-08:00

I know I already posted today, but I was kinda missing Grandma today so I thought I might share her with you. I only hope that when it is my time to return to my heavenly home that there are a fraction of as many people that love and admire me as did her. This picture was taken the night my mom won an award from Boise State for "Women Making History." We were all really proud of her... Still are of course. I'm sitting here trying to think of how to describe Grandma briefly enough for this blog. I don't think I can do it. Aunt J sums her up nicely when she says "More." She always wanted to give you more to eat, more time, more support, certainly more candy, and always more love. If you still have your Grandma, give her hug. They could always use "more."

Wintery Fun

2008-01-15T10:24:00.000-08:00

Well, I have to admit, this is pretty fun. We did a lot of fun things over the holidays. One of them was the Winter Garden Glow at the Idaho Botanical Gardens. Every inch of the gardens were covered with thousands of lights. It was beautiful. We shared it with some really good friends which made it even better. How can you not have fun with cute kids like these?

I did it all by myself!!

2008-01-14T10:13:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! I've rocketed our family into the 21st century and started a blog...all by myself! Yahoo! Now all of you seasoned bloggers can get off my case! Well, I hope you all enjoy it. I can't guarantee any consistency, but I will do my best. The new year is off to a great start. We are all over our illnesses, knock on wood, and D is loving his new job. We look forward to a year of new adventures and experiences. God bless you all and good luck in all you do!