WHEN YOU'RE TIRED YOU CAN SLEEP ANYWHERE

NOW THAT'S TIRED!!

POLAR BEARS

Madelyn is learning about bears in school right now. They have webcams up from zoo's all over the country watching polar and panda bears and other bears. For extra credit this week they were to write a report on any kind of bear, five facts about them, and why they liked them...this is what she came up with while I slept on the couch(yes, I'm tired again).

I can attest that she really does eat and play all year long - not much hibernating on her end; barely enough sleep to make mommy and daddy happy.

You are a great girl Madelyn. I love having you as my daughter. Your smile, your laugh, your willingness to help even without being asked are only a few of the wonderful qualities you possess! Thank you for being mine!!!

And thank you for being YOU!

GERMANY and the CHURCH...deep thoughts by me

My in-laws are off to serve a Temple Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They will serve for eighteen months and then return home to the states.

So far they've been in Germany for almost a week. They've found they're way to their apartment, the grocery store, and of course the temple. My father in law speaks German(he served a mission for the church there when he was 19 years old) but my mother in law speaks only some words and phrases.

My thoughts today turn to this simple fact...no matter where you live, or where you come from, what language you speak or what culture you recognize, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the same. The message is the same, the programs inspired for the members are the same, and the feeling of the Holy Spirit is the same. 

Last weekend I attended the Temple in San Diego. I went through a Spanish speaking session.  Yes, I had a head set to translate, but more importantly, YES, I felt the same spirit and received the same information and was rewarded the same blessings. I felt such peace knowing that I am a member of a church that is the same EVERYWHERE.

My in-laws are now serving in a foreign country, with a foreign language, and a foreign culture. But the church is by all means NOT FOREIGN. They too are feeling the same peace of knowing that the church the belong to is the same EVERYWHERE.

To my friends and family - I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is CHRIST's church. He is the head of the church and the God of our world.  I know without a shadow of a doubt that Joseph Smith restored the true Gospel of Jesus Christ again to the earth; restoring the priesthood to it's fullest. I know he translated ancient writings of prophets that testified of Jesus Christ and compiled them into a book we know as The Book of Mormon. This book I know in my heart to be true, I have felt the Lord testify to me multiple times of it's truthfulness. When I read it, I feel it. When I pray about it, I know it.

My family alone is proof enough of a loving Heavenly Father. And knowing that because of temple blessings I WILL be with my family for all eternity gives me such strength, hope and happiness as I live day to day.

When I moved to Yuma I was as far out of my comfort zone as I possibly could have been. No friends, no family, a different culture, different life styles, everything was different...except ONE thing. The Church. And just as it should be and always has been, the church was and is my lifeline.

I look forward to hearing about my in-laws experiences in Germany; about the people, the culture, the sights, everything. And I am not one bit worried about them finding familiarity when it comes to the church and its teachings. They are, of course, in good hands.

If ever you have wondered about the church or have questions, please, please ASK. Ask me, ask another member, or more importantly ask Heavenly Father.

WEEKEND TO DISNEY, The Beach

It's time to be honest with myself and everyone around me...I'm really starting to like Yuma a-LOT. It's a cozy little city with GREAT perks all around it. We enjoyed TWO of them this last weekend. We took off Thursday night and headed for Aneheim, CA to spend all day Friday at Disneyland and California Adventure.

Below is a picture of what I think are some of the coolest mountains. On the way to San diego you go through a mountain pass that looks totally like this all the way through it. Except most of the parts are even MORE magnificient. But don't the mountains look like a bunch of boulders just kind of fell into place to form the mountains.  It is the coolest sight.

 Not long after we got to our hotel did we have our first accident - of course our walking time bomb fell off a roller chair face first and got a bloody nose and a black eye. But that wouldn't be the first accident of the trip...

Friday was a ball at the park. We got there about 8:30am and left about 9:45pm. Over 13 hours of DISNEY FUN!

 OHHH...and here's the next blunder...Brian fell backwards onto a rock and smashed in his head a bit. Well, technically he smashed OUT his head - he had a goose egg sticking out about an inch and blood everywhere. Disney nurses took care of us like we were royalty. I even got to ride in a wheelchair through California Adventure with him. a little embarrassing...but, hey, I didn't have to walk. lol!

I've decided I want some stilts! How fun is that! PLUS...California Adventure has the BEST Pixar Parade.  SO FUN!!

At the end of the fireworks we were proud of the fact that we spend one full day and were able to get on MOST of the rides that the kids wanted. We weren't able to do Jedi Training this time but all in all A TOTAL SUCCESS!

Gotta LOVE Disney!

ON TO THE BEACH!
We spent Saturday and Sunday in San Diego. It was windy but the beach was great fun. Can you ever beat spending relaxing time on the beach...NO WAY!

 That's Blake...he and wife, Brooke, hung out on the beach with us.

 Yeah Baby!! That's my hubby running. Doesn't he have a nice lookin backside! It's okay - you can say YES!

 Indiana Blake! After Brent and Blake's run up the beach, Blake came back with this...I have know Idea what "this" is, but the kids thought he was the coolest person EVER because of it.

 I think Brooke liked it too! Seven or so months married - these two are such a cute couple! And so good with the kids! After we left the beach all we heard from the kids was, "when are we going to see Blake again...where's Blake...can we go to Blake's...".

 Before we went home on Sunday we checked out the Cabrillo National Monument on the peninsula of the state. There is some great history there; one of the first 8 light houses in California was built there and is showcased. But look at the view across to the city. I bet on a clear day that would be an even more magnificent sight.

San Diego sure treated us right! It was so much fun between the beach and hotel swimming, a session at the temple, shopping at IKEA, and just some good ol' fun! Thanks family for making it another PERFECT Weekend!

FIRST TOOTH-In the bag...

Last night was another one of those monumental moments for a kid. Madelyn lost her FIRST TOOTH!!!

Remember when you were a little kid and your dad always wanted to wrap that string around your tooth and hook it to the door knob? Or he'd say..."let me get the plyers(sp)". I was always afraid of that. I remember vividly running with the yank...ya'll know what I'm talking about the "one...two...three..." and you run with the door or with your dad's hand pulling away from you. Yeah...I remember it so clearly.

I found myself tying the floss to Madelyn's tooth last night - AND SHE GRACIOUSLY LET ME! As I was counting to three all these thoughts came rushing back and I almost couldn't go through with it. But with one easy tug the tooth was out and dangling from the floss.

Madelyn was SOOOOOO excited; her eyes lit up like it was Christmas. And the best part...she has another loose tooth and she told me last night, "you can pull my next one the same way, mom."

So dad, I'm sorry for all the tantrums during "the pull".  I found out last night that if MADELYN can handle it...it really can't be that bad.

And Madelyn....CONGRATULATIONS! I CAN'T BELIEVE THE TOOTH FAIRY LEFT YOU $2! YOU'RE TOTALLY RICH!!!!

THE BEAST

Brent and I purchased a new dining room table and chairs at IKEA this weekend!!! Yay!!! We'd had our eye on it for awhile but couldn't decide it if was too casual or good for our needs for this time in our life(you know how kids stab their forks into the table or climb all over things...)

So we made the decision and bought it! And thanks to Blake and Brooke and their truck we didn't have to pay as much as the table itself to have it shipped to us!

So the table we picked out seats 6-10 people comfortably...perfect!
The BEAST that we brought home and put together Sunday night fits 10-14!

So...party at the bushman household - at least 14 people can sit around the table! We only bought 8 chairs but at least 6 more can kneel around it! haha

 Yes...we put it together from scratch....

 It's a beast...and will take some getting use too. But it's our table now and I love it!

NO FILTER SYSTEM

It's a beautiful day today. The sky is a beautiful blue, the sun is shining high in the sky.  It's a perfect day to swim.

So when the boys got home from preschool I fed them lunch, got them changed and headed out to the pool. They looked so refreshed when we got home from their dentist appointments a couple hours later I decided to change into my swimsuit too.

The boys swam-I watched as they jumped and flipped and had so much fun.
I layed out - because I was "laying out" I decided to hike my top up a bit to tan my VERY WHITE stomach.

Then Marcus came up beside me and simply said..."why does your stomach look like that, mom?"

pause...pause...so many answers that I could have shot back at him...

Instead I just ignored the question, let him finish gauking at my stomach, and eventually he left satisfied with no answer.

Kids have no filter when they are curious, do they.

COLD DINNERS

Now that we are starting to experience warmer heat I've decided it's just about time to turn off the oven. It's in the 80's and 90's now, but soon enough we will be hitting triple digits.

My kitchen is BEATIFUL! I love my kitchen. But the one downfall is that it opens up to two VERY LARGE windows in the family room. You can imagine how warm the combination of the Arizona Heat blaring through the windows(even with the insulated curtains) and the heat of an oven/stove could be. I'll spell it out....
H-O-T!!!!!

So it's time for cold dinners...and maybe some Mr. G's too! :)

Last nights dinner - fruit, meat and cheese sandwiches on flat bread, and chips

prep time - 10 minutes(even with my fancy display..haha)

ZERO degrees warmer in the kitchen!!!

P.S. - I learned to use the pineapple as a fruit tray from my sister in law, Martine. How fancy is that! Thanks Martine!

On a side note...the kids have been having a ball swimming after school. Here's a sneak peak of some fun pics that I'll post througout the summer.  I love to watch them smile and laugh! Plus...it tires the heck out of them so bed time is a SINCH!

Marcus, Creighton, and Brian

Why Marcus is wearing arm floaties is still a mystery...has to gain his confidence back for the new season I guess....As long as he's safe, right!

MY BABY IS GOING TO PRESCHOOL

I've got major mixed emotions! My baby is starting preschool today. On one hand I'm thinking, "No!!! He's to little! He's my baby and I don't want him to grow up!" And on the other hand I'm thinking, "WAAHHHHHOOOOOO!!!! Three hours to myself!"
hmmmmmm.......

FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL

Monday, April 19, 2010

PUNISHMENT

What a great Sunday. The talks were great in sacrament meeting, my lesson went fairly well in Relief Society, and dinner was FANTASTIC! All was going well.

Just when we decided on a family activity that was border line not really appropriate for Sunday it all came tumbling down.

I dropped Brent and the kids off at Quartermaster's Depot to ride their bikes over to Gateway Park(more specifically...the river...ooooops!) Then I drove over to the river, set up our chairs, got out the towels and assumed my 'I'm reading while Brent plays with the kids' position.

And that was when I felt like I needed to get up and meet the kids and Brent at the end of the path.  Luckily I did...Brian had taken a spill at the beginning of the bike ride.  His poor knees were a bloody mess, his elbow and side were scraped up too.  But because it was the beginning of the bike ride he had to ride the rest of the way to the river...screaming of course.

And as if we didn't learn our lesson soon enough - we stayed at the river and played for another 20 minutes with Brian sitting on my lap.

Family activity...yes.
Quality time together....yes.
Did we have fun...mostly.
Appropriate for Sunday...probably not.

Live and learn. I don't think Brian will forget, that's for sure.

AS IF THE LAST FEW NIGHTS HAVEN'T BEEN HARD ENOUGH...

So...I'm not one to run to the doctor to quickly. I usually wait things out at long as possible.  It's like pulling teeth to get me to go for myself, but I'll finally go when it's totally necessary. And as for the kids, we've had enough ear infections, colds, flu's, etc for me to know that most illnesses will take their course and be gone.

Well, Brian's ears have been bothering him for the last 6 days. I kept telling myself to ride it out, "ride it out, Hilary, they'll get better".
They didn't get better....
So I took him to the doctor. Of course both ears are inflamed, his nasal passages are totally congested causing the infection...yes, we've all heard it before.  But don't worry- he's not contagious!! :) So what's the fix....not just an antibiotic but a STEROID TOO!!!!
And all I can say is...
"NOT AGAIN!!"
There's alot of you that have to put your kids on steroids for asthma, allergy, or other reasons so you know when I say, "as if the last week hasn't been bad enough."
FIVE DAYS....five days!!
And at the end of those five days guess what....GONNA NEED A GIRLS NIGHT!!
On a positive and less selfish note - my son will finally feel relief!!! And that makes momma happy!

BOISE...Then HOME

And then there was Boise...Good Old Boise! I love Boise and I am sure there will always be a part of me that stayed in Boise. The Treasure Valley is one of the most perfect places to live.  The weather is perfect-you get all four seasons but with a short winter and a very enjoyable spring. You can stay entertained within the boundaries of the Treasure Valley - plays, parks, shopping, restaraunts, the zoo, Discovery Center, the water park, etc. Not to mention all the amenities that are near by - McCall, Cascade, Sun Valley, Idaho City - all perfect in their own ways for each season.

But in a little nook of Southwest Boise did I leave a piece of my heart, and a piece of my kids' heart. We found the most perfect neighborhood for kids...and where a lot of kids are you'll find a lot of moms. So it was the perfect place for me too.

Our home was across the street from a cul-de-sac that opened up to a neighborhood pond.  The fountain, the geese, even the cranes that visited are sure missed.  The kids could play hours and hours at that pond, throwing rocks in the water, using their imagination. We even took a boat out and rowed around the pond.  The grassy area next to the pond was our sports field - baseball, soccer, frisbee, kites, running around.

But it was also the homes that surrounded the pond that made it home...good ole' Marc and Lori, Marty and Karen, just to name a few.  And of course the Becksteads...we had a trail from their backyard all around the pond to the cul-de-sac from the kids running back and forth.

And right next door- ahhh, the Kent's. It was the greatest when we both extended our patios and took the fence down that separated our yards. The kids were in heaven.  I can still see little Mak at our sliding glass door.

The Gorton's to the rear...what wonderful neighbors. Turns out the kids had some best friends around every corner. Turns out I had best friends around every corner!

And those are just the short corners I'm talking about....let us not forget Mormon row on the other side of the subdivision where some more of the greatest people live - Katie, Andrea...you know who you are. And now Janae on momon row... :)

I could go on and on about THREE OAKS SUBDIVISION. It's a perfect place to live for your kids. And it just so happens that the adults get along quite well too.

 

Lightsabers...always lightsabers!

Zac, Cade, Jordan, Makayla, Marcus, Brian

True love!!! And the best of friend!

Aren't they the cutest girls around!! Cassie, Madelyn, Alexis

GIRLS NIGHT!!! Dinner and lots of gabbing! Me, Janae, and Katie, then Andrea, Stephanie, and Ann...Becky was there too- just stepped out for a minute during picture.

Girls table

Boys table - oh how I miss Ethan and Jordan!

Well, there's trouble!

The pond...this picture only shows about a fifth of the pond.

FRIENDS EVERYWHERE

There's Marc. All he wanted to do was pressure wash his fence. But he ALWAYS takes time for the kids - always! He entertained them for a good 45 minutes spraying them, spraying his fence, then spraying them. Never once did he complain. We miss you MARC!!!

Them are some good looking boys!

Good times...good memories. And the memories go beyond Three Oaks. So many good people in our ward. I would be naming names for hours and probably miss someone so everyone just know I love ya and miss ya! And I can't wait to see ya'll this summer! Yay!

Boise holds my heart in lots of ways. I also have two siblings in Boise with their beautiful wives and wonderful families. We stayed at Jeff and Jackies for most the nights we were there and then Thayne and Angels the last night. I had the best time catching up with them all, talking, laughing, even a little crying, and some bow making too. I love my brothers to the Nth degree but they definitely married up. Jackie, Angel, and Martine are three of the best friends I have ever had. I love my sisters! I LOVE THEM! Thank you so much for becoming part of our family.

Madelyn and Lizette had fun reading

Family Home Evening with Thayne and Jeff's families

Brian, Trulie, Marcus, Phieffer, Ammon, Lizette, Hampton, and Shepard.

They boys thought they were so..."cute"

My family - me, Jackie and Lexy in the Chair, Angel on the side, Jeff, and Thayne and Ammon. If we could just super-impose Micah and Martine into the picture it would be the best looking photo ever taken...without them we're just average....just kidding!

We live far away. But as far as I'm concerned the bonds between our family are unbreakable. So look out cuz we'll be coming to visit again and again. We love you and miss you so much!

MIDDLE PART OF TRIP - SODA SPRINGS

On to Soda Springs for Wednesday - Sunday Morning. The kids had grandma and grandpa going from sun up to sun down.  We had a lot of fun! Activities ranged from playing light sabers, going to the dollar store, playing outside in the snow, coloring, scrapbooking, movie marathons, painting nails, making cookies, etc etc etc.

The rope swing is always a hit!

Even the adults enjoy it...

Making cookies is a staple when we're with Grandma

Snow snow...it never went away. Made for some great snow ball fights though...

And hot chocolate to follow.

Grandpa and the boys had a Star Wars movie marathon on Friday. They watched episodes 1, 2, and 3. Marcus was in heaven!!! Thanks dad for taking the time to watch his favorite movie. And let's face it...you loved it!! :)

What the girls did while the boys did "boy stuff"

Easter was fun! Different, because we weren't with Brent. We got our egg coloring in, though.

Hello! Did someone call a plummer?

Saturday we went to my old stompin' grounds...okay, we went to the movie theater. But it was the EXACT same as it was when I went as a little girl.  Nothing has changed...NOTHING! The kids and I watched 'The Tooth Fairy'.

And Sunday we enjoyed finding the Easter Eggs, looking through the baskets. Mom made a wonderful Easter dinner and we enjoyed a session of conference before we got on the road to Boise.

All in all it was a fantastic trip home.  I always love spending time with my parents and the kids love it! They love their grandparents so much.  But even as much as they love spending time with grandma and grandpa they started missing daddy terribly by about saturday.  Thanks mom and dad for a wonderful trip.  Ready or not, we're gonna come again and again!!