Thursday, September 24, 2009
Mmmmm...Pumpkin
Remember my list in the last post.....In case you don't or you are too lazy to scroll down and read it I mentioned how anything with Pumpkin in the name sounds so good right now.....Well, for my Mom's birthday we had Pumpkin Pie and guess what??!!! It was SO GOOD!!! My taste buds were satisfied!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Fall is a comin...
Signs of Fall:
-That cold chill that nips at your face as you walk to school and walk home from school.
-Haunted Houses are officially open (My brothers, Micah, Clint and I made it a point to go opening weekend).
-All that is on my mind is "What should I be for Halloween"?
-Pumpkin pie, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin curry and pretty much anything with pumpkin in the title is starting to sound good.
-I am pulling my sleepers off the bench and back into the game.
-The colors are already starting to change at the top of the mountains.
-And I am starting to put on a couple of pounds to prepare me for the cold:)
I tend to complain about the cold at the beginning of the season but then I look at all the fun things that come along with it and I get pretty giddy and excited for a new season and new things to do and wear!
Here are some pictures from my weekend. Marian came out to visit which was so much fun! So we all went to my favorite Taco place in Provo....DIEGO'S!!!!
The boys and I proceeded to go to a Haunted Forest and Mansion. While there we met Captain Jack Sparrow and the Ghostbusters!!! Pretty epic night. I really enjoyed watching Parker get scared and take off his tough guy act for the night....I can't forget to mention Marshal scaring Jason (the guy with the chainsaw) and also making one of the actors (is that what you call haunted house employees) laugh out loud.....overall, a fulfilled and enjoyable weekend!
Last one for the list...You know fall is coming when there is a Football Game every Saturday!!!!! Even when you don't win, they are fun to be a part of and lose your voice screaming (whether from frustration of joy) and to be so close with all your closest friends that you can smell their BO (except for tarbear she doesn't even sweat).
-That cold chill that nips at your face as you walk to school and walk home from school.
-Haunted Houses are officially open (My brothers, Micah, Clint and I made it a point to go opening weekend).
-All that is on my mind is "What should I be for Halloween"?
-Pumpkin pie, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin curry and pretty much anything with pumpkin in the title is starting to sound good.
-I am pulling my sleepers off the bench and back into the game.
-The colors are already starting to change at the top of the mountains.
-And I am starting to put on a couple of pounds to prepare me for the cold:)
I tend to complain about the cold at the beginning of the season but then I look at all the fun things that come along with it and I get pretty giddy and excited for a new season and new things to do and wear!
Here are some pictures from my weekend. Marian came out to visit which was so much fun! So we all went to my favorite Taco place in Provo....DIEGO'S!!!!
The boys and I proceeded to go to a Haunted Forest and Mansion. While there we met Captain Jack Sparrow and the Ghostbusters!!! Pretty epic night. I really enjoyed watching Parker get scared and take off his tough guy act for the night....I can't forget to mention Marshal scaring Jason (the guy with the chainsaw) and also making one of the actors (is that what you call haunted house employees) laugh out loud.....overall, a fulfilled and enjoyable weekend!
Last one for the list...You know fall is coming when there is a Football Game every Saturday!!!!! Even when you don't win, they are fun to be a part of and lose your voice screaming (whether from frustration of joy) and to be so close with all your closest friends that you can smell their BO (except for tarbear she doesn't even sweat).
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Im On A Boat!
Few favorite moments from this day of boating:
Olivia and My Mom both dancing when they were out on the board to "She Wolf"
Olivia "I hate going out with the Davis's!"
Nathan telling me there is a huge fish behind me which caused me to eat it right away in fear.
Parker jumping the wake:)
Marshal always ends with a bang as he flips off the board.
Dad taking on the wave at the age of 50!
Grandma cheering all of us on through our different attempts to out do one another on the board.
We cannot forget about Nathan's awesome outfit with his bandana and glasses that made him look like a thug. Unfortunately, the glasses were lost in the lake...lets have a moment of silence for them.....
Olivia and My Mom both dancing when they were out on the board to "She Wolf"
Olivia "I hate going out with the Davis's!"
Nathan telling me there is a huge fish behind me which caused me to eat it right away in fear.
Parker jumping the wake:)
Marshal always ends with a bang as he flips off the board.
Dad taking on the wave at the age of 50!
Grandma cheering all of us on through our different attempts to out do one another on the board.
We cannot forget about Nathan's awesome outfit with his bandana and glasses that made him look like a thug. Unfortunately, the glasses were lost in the lake...lets have a moment of silence for them.....
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Rock Climbing
At the request of cousin Olivia I am posting lots of pictures with very little writing "unless there are pictures I just dont read it" so here you go babe, enjoy!!!
We went rock climbing for FHE...Clint had a hard time with the knot and was sad that he couldn't do it. No worries, after a whole night of practicing he was pro.
Have I mentioned yet how much I LOVE being in the same state and household as Taryn again...cuz I do! WE have so much fun together all the time!
Just takin a rest
Clint and I. Harnesses are pretty hott looking if I do say so myself.
Preston (Clint's cousin) and Taryn
The view id great from down below.....
All four of us after a very exhausting and eventful night!
We went rock climbing for FHE...Clint had a hard time with the knot and was sad that he couldn't do it. No worries, after a whole night of practicing he was pro.
Have I mentioned yet how much I LOVE being in the same state and household as Taryn again...cuz I do! WE have so much fun together all the time!
Just takin a rest
Clint and I. Harnesses are pretty hott looking if I do say so myself.
Preston (Clint's cousin) and Taryn
The view id great from down below.....
All four of us after a very exhausting and eventful night!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Arrested Development
I want to start by just saying this is an incredible show and in my TOP 5 for sure! But the real reason for this post is that I have always wondered where they got this name from for the show. Today I had an epiphany, as I was studying Freud and his theories, and it all makes sense now. For anyone who has watched the show the gist of it is that it is about a very dysfunctional family (more so then ours:)
So, I was reading about the psychosexual stages in life (that Freud believed to be true) and he discusses how if any of these "stages" is skipped or something traumatic happens during that "stage" then that person is "Stuck" in that stage and will show signs of it later in their life. An example Freud gives (keep in mind this is not my opinion) is a child in the oral stage; if they are not breast fed or their parents don't allow them to suck their thumb or pacifier then they did not get the pleasure they desired from that stage in order to progress....so later on in life they may become a smoker or someone who gossips frequent, all in all, something to do with the mouth.
Long story short, and I do not want to go into anymore detail as Freud is an interesting character that causes a lot of controversy, but the show is called Arrested Development because the family members are all "stuck" in a certain stage. I am going to go on to analyze the characters and the stages I believe they are "stuck" in later...so stay tuned!
So, I was reading about the psychosexual stages in life (that Freud believed to be true) and he discusses how if any of these "stages" is skipped or something traumatic happens during that "stage" then that person is "Stuck" in that stage and will show signs of it later in their life. An example Freud gives (keep in mind this is not my opinion) is a child in the oral stage; if they are not breast fed or their parents don't allow them to suck their thumb or pacifier then they did not get the pleasure they desired from that stage in order to progress....so later on in life they may become a smoker or someone who gossips frequent, all in all, something to do with the mouth.
Long story short, and I do not want to go into anymore detail as Freud is an interesting character that causes a lot of controversy, but the show is called Arrested Development because the family members are all "stuck" in a certain stage. I am going to go on to analyze the characters and the stages I believe they are "stuck" in later...so stay tuned!
România deţine o bucata de inima mea
Going to Romania had a huge impact on my life. When I got home I missed it dearly but week after week life moved on. But lately I have been especially longing to go back and visit my kids. I wonder if they would even remember me or at least recognize me. It has really hit me hard lately how much I love those kids and how badly I want the best for them. I am not sure if it is because my friend Rachel just got back from Romania, or if it is because Clint served his mission there, or maybe it is just my female hormones getting to me...either way I decided to help cope with these feelings that I wanted to go back again and share with you 5 of my kids that I worked with and loved as much as I love my own self.
Claudia: She was 2 when I worked with her and I believe she is no 3 years old. She is one of the sweetest kids I worked with. Whenever Rhett and I walked to the door at their apartment we could hear her, and Mihaela, jumping by the door yelling "Buna, Buna" (hello) in anticipation of our arrival. Then of course she greeted us with a huge hug and pup (kiss). She was always so good at sharing and when another kid was sad she would stand there looking as if trying to figure out what to do in order to make them happy. She loves dogs and singing. She was one of the few kids that did not show any signs of disabilities or attachment disorders. Claudia was a bright light!
This is Ghiorcel, or Bobo as we called him. He has autism and when we first arrived in Romania and started to work with him he was not very friendly. He would avoid eye contact and did not care to play with anyone else besides himself and the only noises we heard out of him was crying or screaming. He never spoke any words. Through a lot of work, and I was not alone Rhett did a lot, Bobo was singing along to children's songs in romanian, he would look at me and smile and occasionally would join in with the other kids and the games we played. It was incredible to see the progress we made with him. Bobo made my heart melt every time he laughed.
Mihaela was a firecracker! We had a lot of good and A LOT of bad times together. She suffered from attachment disorder which resulted in her having a bad temper and not dealing well with her emotions in general. More often then I liked I had to take her to "pat" (bed) for a timeout...by the time I got her to her bed I had spit on my face, hair pulled out and soon to be bruises on my arm from her biting me. It may confuse you why I loved this girl so much. After a couple of weeks of dealing with her tantrums and how she treated the other kids we had a breakthrough. One day as I was carrying her to her bed after she had hit one of the other kids something was different and I just squeezed her so tight into a hug, I started singing to her and then rocking her. The attempts to bite, spit and pull my hair lessened then stopped as she put her face into my shoulder and cried and cried. Then the crying stopped and she looked at me and kissed me on the cheek. I wish this story ended with her not having tantrums anymore and her being nice to the other kids, it doesn't, but our relationship was different from that day on. I loved her for all her mistakes and for all her accomplishments.
Here is good ol' Marian!!! This is the kid my mom wanted to adopt so bad and I really think she would have if it was allowed. He just had a sweet spirit about him and was so spunky all the time. He called any female "mama". He was in the hospital the whole time I was in Romania. Whenever I walked around the corner I would see him stand up in his crib and cry out "mama, mama" and he was so ready for me to play with him. The day I had to say good-bye to him was so hard. The Nurse would not let me hold him because she knew he would start to cry when I left and they would rather avoid that. I gave him a toy dog that he could play with (he LOVES dogs) and he was so happy about it. Then there was the last moment I spent with him. I was singing Christmas Songs with the Missionaries and a few other people from our group in Romanian and we came to the hallway where Marian was at....as we sang people and children came out of their rooms to watch and all of a sudden I feel a little hand grab on to mine and I look down to see Marian's big eyes looking up at me with a smile.
RADU is a very special kid. He has a lot of health issues; down syndrome along with heart problems which results in him having to eat out of a feeding tube and lay around in a crib all day. We spent our time together singing songs, tickling him and he had this little sun pillow thing that he loved. I would hold it above his head and attack his stomach with it just to hear his precious laugh in response. His laugh was so real. I think that to him it was the one thing that not only made him happy but reminded him that he is alive and there. His laugh was music to my ears and no matter how tired I was or how bad of a day I may have had (e.g. the gypsies stealing my wallet) holding Radu, singing with him and laughing with him was bound to life my spirits.
For those of you who actually were persistent to get through this post Thank You. Really this post was for me, a way to cope with some of my feelings right now. And knowing that some of you may have read this and cared about what I wrote and about these kids that I love brings some comfort to my reminiscent feelings right now.
Claudia: She was 2 when I worked with her and I believe she is no 3 years old. She is one of the sweetest kids I worked with. Whenever Rhett and I walked to the door at their apartment we could hear her, and Mihaela, jumping by the door yelling "Buna, Buna" (hello) in anticipation of our arrival. Then of course she greeted us with a huge hug and pup (kiss). She was always so good at sharing and when another kid was sad she would stand there looking as if trying to figure out what to do in order to make them happy. She loves dogs and singing. She was one of the few kids that did not show any signs of disabilities or attachment disorders. Claudia was a bright light!
This is Ghiorcel, or Bobo as we called him. He has autism and when we first arrived in Romania and started to work with him he was not very friendly. He would avoid eye contact and did not care to play with anyone else besides himself and the only noises we heard out of him was crying or screaming. He never spoke any words. Through a lot of work, and I was not alone Rhett did a lot, Bobo was singing along to children's songs in romanian, he would look at me and smile and occasionally would join in with the other kids and the games we played. It was incredible to see the progress we made with him. Bobo made my heart melt every time he laughed.
Mihaela was a firecracker! We had a lot of good and A LOT of bad times together. She suffered from attachment disorder which resulted in her having a bad temper and not dealing well with her emotions in general. More often then I liked I had to take her to "pat" (bed) for a timeout...by the time I got her to her bed I had spit on my face, hair pulled out and soon to be bruises on my arm from her biting me. It may confuse you why I loved this girl so much. After a couple of weeks of dealing with her tantrums and how she treated the other kids we had a breakthrough. One day as I was carrying her to her bed after she had hit one of the other kids something was different and I just squeezed her so tight into a hug, I started singing to her and then rocking her. The attempts to bite, spit and pull my hair lessened then stopped as she put her face into my shoulder and cried and cried. Then the crying stopped and she looked at me and kissed me on the cheek. I wish this story ended with her not having tantrums anymore and her being nice to the other kids, it doesn't, but our relationship was different from that day on. I loved her for all her mistakes and for all her accomplishments.
Here is good ol' Marian!!! This is the kid my mom wanted to adopt so bad and I really think she would have if it was allowed. He just had a sweet spirit about him and was so spunky all the time. He called any female "mama". He was in the hospital the whole time I was in Romania. Whenever I walked around the corner I would see him stand up in his crib and cry out "mama, mama" and he was so ready for me to play with him. The day I had to say good-bye to him was so hard. The Nurse would not let me hold him because she knew he would start to cry when I left and they would rather avoid that. I gave him a toy dog that he could play with (he LOVES dogs) and he was so happy about it. Then there was the last moment I spent with him. I was singing Christmas Songs with the Missionaries and a few other people from our group in Romanian and we came to the hallway where Marian was at....as we sang people and children came out of their rooms to watch and all of a sudden I feel a little hand grab on to mine and I look down to see Marian's big eyes looking up at me with a smile.
RADU is a very special kid. He has a lot of health issues; down syndrome along with heart problems which results in him having to eat out of a feeding tube and lay around in a crib all day. We spent our time together singing songs, tickling him and he had this little sun pillow thing that he loved. I would hold it above his head and attack his stomach with it just to hear his precious laugh in response. His laugh was so real. I think that to him it was the one thing that not only made him happy but reminded him that he is alive and there. His laugh was music to my ears and no matter how tired I was or how bad of a day I may have had (e.g. the gypsies stealing my wallet) holding Radu, singing with him and laughing with him was bound to life my spirits.
For those of you who actually were persistent to get through this post Thank You. Really this post was for me, a way to cope with some of my feelings right now. And knowing that some of you may have read this and cared about what I wrote and about these kids that I love brings some comfort to my reminiscent feelings right now.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Next Michael Phelps
This is little Liam the cutest Nephew in the world. When Rachel and him were visiting I got to experience first hand him swimming and discovered that he just loves it. Whenever we would life him out of the water he would keep kicking and flailing his arms and look around trying to figure out why he wasn't in the water anymore. Michael Phelps you better watch your back....
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Hawaii Part 2
I am too tired to expound on any of these pictures so you can just enjoy looking at them. Mahalo!
Our German Friends we met in Honolulu....They could eat 5 burgers from McDonald's without throwing up, I can't even eat one without wanting to throw up.
Tarbear and I. Mom, be proud I did not spend a penny at the International Market, tempted but I just said NO! haha
Pearl Harbor was incredible and such an inspirational experience for me.
Da Bus!
Sunset at the beach while contemplating the meaning of life:)
Mahana Bay with the ladies and sea turtles and other cool things...
Mom, this is what I am going to be doing with my college degree after I graduate:) YAY!
Beautiful waterfall and never-ending Hike with friends and Mr. Ian
The temple in Oahu. SO beautiful.....it was under construction though so unfortunately we could not go in.
Pounders beach. While siting on this beach we met two drunk ladies who kept talking to us and we didn't mind too much and then eventually one decides she needs to tell us that we are very beautiful girls but also very naive....I thought to myself if being naive means I am sober, happy and know what I am doing with my life then I will take it.
Just another HIke.....Its times like these when I feel the closest to God.
Natalie "wouldn't it be cool if we could store food in our cheeks"
Our German Friends we met in Honolulu....They could eat 5 burgers from McDonald's without throwing up, I can't even eat one without wanting to throw up.
Tarbear and I. Mom, be proud I did not spend a penny at the International Market, tempted but I just said NO! haha
Pearl Harbor was incredible and such an inspirational experience for me.
Da Bus!
Sunset at the beach while contemplating the meaning of life:)
Mahana Bay with the ladies and sea turtles and other cool things...
Mom, this is what I am going to be doing with my college degree after I graduate:) YAY!
Beautiful waterfall and never-ending Hike with friends and Mr. Ian
The temple in Oahu. SO beautiful.....it was under construction though so unfortunately we could not go in.
Pounders beach. While siting on this beach we met two drunk ladies who kept talking to us and we didn't mind too much and then eventually one decides she needs to tell us that we are very beautiful girls but also very naive....I thought to myself if being naive means I am sober, happy and know what I am doing with my life then I will take it.
Just another HIke.....Its times like these when I feel the closest to God.
Natalie "wouldn't it be cool if we could store food in our cheeks"
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