Happiness

Today I got to test drive my favorite car- the Mazda Miata. It was amazing! The three older kids were in school and Asher was at preschool and I had an open morning- which I hardly ever have! After practicing the organ a bit, stopping home to grab some library books to return and clean our bathroom, I headed on over to our local Mazda dealership. I got out and was a little nervous- I've never test driven a sports car before! I started looking at one and a dealer came up and got me all set up! I was hoping to take it out by myself but after he showed me all the features of a new 2011 Miata I knew he would be coming with me. Which was fine. We put the top down, took it down the street, onto the Freeway and back. Pure Joy. Not the kind of joy being a Mother gives me- but a pure thrill, driving down the open road with wind in my hair. I have loved Mazda Miatas since I was 10 years old and have a Mazda Miata fund to save up for one- one day! I have decided that it's a California car...

Getting Treats! (left on our pillows by a Mom who had been a little grumpier than usual and was making up for it!) Holding Indoor Yard Sales (the older boys were selling all of their toys to Asher for 10 cents a piece. Too bad Asher only had about 40 cents and came to me begging for more money!) Takin' Naps with the Wii Remote and a Snuggie Finding Old Bath Crayons and Leaving Surprises for Mom and Dad Checking Out Bird's Nest Built In Our Backyard Getting Balloon Animals at IKEA! So Fun! We're having fun! When I'm not being stung by a wasp or getting caught in the thunderstorms lately! The boys t-ball has been canceled the past three times. Such rain! This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

We still had some gold foil left over from when we finished Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and I intended to make golden tickets in chocolate bars. The foil was too thin and square for me to work with, so when the kids suggested golden eggs, we were able to make it happen! Elizabeth with her Easter basket on Easter morning- with no glasses! She often stumbles out of bed and races to the kitchen for breakfast without her spectacles. Twice I have had to run home from dropping her off at school and bring them to her. I didn't even notice she had no glasses on! The boys! They are still the boys. I said to Josh the other day "I'll take Elizabeth and you take the boys." Asher said "What about me?" Yes, Asher, you are one of the boys too! I refer to Ethan and Jonah as the boys and all 3 as the boys as well. Phew. Josh and Elizabeth Asher and his dollar shades from the Easter bunny! This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

April is officially Poetry Month and before April is over, I would like to share a poem or two with you. This one is dedicated to LIFE: Some Days Some days Are glorious Like rainbows Sparkling And rain falling Softly amongst the dew. The whole world Seems to smile, Filled with light and joy- A reflecting pool Of inner joy and happiness. This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Sunday, right after Church, we piled into the car and drove down to the temple for a picnic lunch and a walk around the grounds. Josh and I had just gone the night before and it was so lovely and warm we wanted to share it with the kids. At 1 pm it was downright hot and a little muggy, but we still had fun. It was a lovely Easter! Christ has risen! Ethan, Asher, Elizabeth and Jonah on Easter Sunday. Elizabeth Elizabeth and I. Moroni Dogwood picture taken by Josh. He's been reading my book on exposure and trying things out! I can learn a lot from him! We love these dogwoods that surround the temple. There is even one outside our guest bedroom I never knew was a dogwood. So pretty! on a gazebo near the temple Elizabeth, relaxing in the shade. You'll have to forgive my beginning photography skills. The first shot is over exposed and the second is under exposed. Sheesh. This photography thing is a lot harder than I thought. I have turned my camera to manual or the Av setting and ha...

It's been awhile since I scheduled a post. Mainly because whenever I do it doesn't work and posts for the same day. But, I want to say a little something that I am grateful for this Easter Season. When I am resurrected, I will be once again whole and healthy- no longer dependent on a daily medicine to maintain my way of life. No more monthly Dr. visits for the prescription. No more little hiccups when I am on another medicine or when the medicine doesn't smooth out all the wrinkles. This is the first year since my diagnosis that I am truly grateful for the Resurrection in that sense. The years before I thought I could beat it myself. Now, I know I can't. But, I can look to the future and to that glorious day when I am resurrected, surrounded by my family and friends, giving thanks to God for all that He has given me. He is my life. He is the reason why I rejoice. He is my Savior.

Happy Birthday, Mom/Grandma!!! Mom, we love you so much. Thank you for thinking of us often, for calling when we are sick and cheering us on, for sending cards in the mail. We love you. You are a wonderful Matriarch in our family and have done such a good job raising us! As I was making Easter Cookies with Asher this morning, I was reminded of the chocolate coconut eggs you always made around Easter time and I was filled with love. The love that you showed us each year as you lovingly made those eggs is amazing. I can only hope that my kids feel the same amount of love from me as we felt from you growing up. Have a wonderful, beautiful year! We love you! Megan

I decided I wouldn't blog today. I need to recover from the world's-worst-itch-ever (I was itching ALL OVER). I need to fold laundry. I need to dunk the two cartons of strawberries that I bought on sale into chocolate. I need to take a bleach bath and slather my skin in Aloe Vera (that was HEAVENLY yesterday- just Heavenly!). I need to get out of this house- I was home almost all day yesterday and when I do that I start organizing and when I organize I start getting stir crazy and gotta take a break. Phew. So, on the docket for today is a trip to the Mall. I googled "Poison Ivy Rash" and had to click my computer screen off, the images were so scary. Good to know that there is always someone who has it worse off than you. Always. But, seriously, being in that state of uncomfortable for 48 hours has left me with a sincere, deep gratitude. I'm grateful for a soft bed that cradles me in smooth sheets. I'm grateful for 4 healthy children whose laughter and banter t...

Yep! A rash! Red dots- all over me! I woke up early Tuesday morning with red swollen ankles. I had spent a few hours spreading mulch in the backyard on Monday and there were ants on the bags of mulch, so I thought it was ant bites. I couldn't sleep from all the itching, so I climbed into the bath. By morning the rash had spread all over my body and had taken over! Josh thought maybe it was poison ivy since I went hiking on Sunday, but the kids didn't have it. I ate a Basa fish sample on Saturday, some new frozen Spanish Tortilla (delicious btw) on Sunday and a new granola bar on Monday so who knows what it could be. Oh, and I had been taking amoxicillin for 8 days but didn't think it could be that. I went to the Dr. with a 4 kids in tow and she said it was an allergic reaction and prescribed steroids. It could be the amoxicillin as a delayed reaction. Either way, rash= lots of baths + benadryl + Dr. Visit + 2 CVS visits + 1 Rite Aid visit (which while there I also bought 6 ...

Mormon messages

J and his 32 candles!!! The kids wanted to make the cake look like Josh- TADA! Josh's birthday was 2 Saturdays ago on April 9th and I have not blogged about it yet! Probably because I have been sick since the first weekend in April and am just now coming out of it. I still get strong coughs- but at least I'm better. Day 8 of antibiotics and can't wait to stop taking those ginormous pills!! We had a lot of fun for Josh's 32nd birthday. We did chores in the morning, I went to a Church held yard sale and got some new games- Jenga and Sorry- to play with the kids that afternoon. There was a t-ball game which I stayed home from and slept through since I wasn't feeling so hot. Then we finished watching Darby O'Gill and the Little People- Classic- and fed the kids mac n cheese while we went to the Flaming Pit and I had French Onion Soup since I was still sick and Josh had the steak. Yum! Afterwards Lisee Abbott- our cousing- was singing in the chorus line at a play The...

via online *When you don't have anything nice to say- don't say anything at all. Or, say something nice, with meat. Because saying it with meat will sure prove your love to them. Right? This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

art print available for sale at jkirkrichards.com/cjane/motherandchildshoppe.html Me being the baby hungry person that I am and not being able to think about being pregnant because of the meds that I take, I now have adoption on the brain. It's amazing how this came to be. It's like I am a first time Mother, excited to try and get pregnant. Except this time, it is a process. A long process. Which is only in the brainstorm stage at this point. With Elizabeth we got pregnant right away. First try. With the boys it was the same (there was a period of waiting there too, but that's because Elizabeth was under 1 year old at the time) and with Asher it was a few months. So, all of this waiting and struggle is new to me and I'm doing okay. I'm enjoying the things that I am learning. And the things I am thinking. And feeling. It is a whole new life- this adoption idea. A few blogs about adoption- therhouse.blogspot.com - a main hub for all things adoption Que and Brittanysbl...

a pink tree near our yard out back. I love pink. I love trees. I love pink trees! some blooming blossoms in our backyard Asher's first t-ball game was last Saturday. I was feeling sick, but still wanted to go. I ended up driving home and napping. I was told he did an awesome job. Don't you just love his bendy ears? When he was a baby my sister called him some kind of duck (donald? goofy?), since his ears stuck out. 2 Cherry Trees in our Neighborhood, plus half an Elizabeth I love the Springtime! This is my blog. My name is Megan A.

My sweet sister, Larissa, is 18 months younger than my twin sister Molly and I. You could say we were quite the threesome, as my Grandmother often bought us matching clothes in sets of three. It was fun growing up with sisters so close in age and we still get along today! Larissa posted the sweetest post about all of our siblings yesterday and I just wanted to share it- " The Best Hulihan Siblings Ever! "by Larissa Nelson. I completely agree with her and am so thankful for forever families. I am thankful that my Parents were sealed in the Mesa, Arizona Temple 35 years ago this May. I am thankful that we have each lived worthy to be married in the temple or to be worthy to do so one day. I love my family! This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

I have passed the 900 blog post mark and failed to make mention of it. Oh, well! I have used my camera for the first time in earnest! It was glorious! I set it on manual and after a few shots with too much light, I did what I was advised not to- I set it on automatic. After a few shots of mild, bland shots, like a steak that had been cooked until it resembled mush, I switched back to manual, adjusted the ISO and viola- beautiful shots! And just as I was about to shoot the flowing cherry blossom tree across the way, I put my finger on the shutter and got nothing. Zilch. Nada. The LCD screen read "Change battery" Nooo!!! When the used camera came, it came with a useful battery still in it. As I read the manual, it said that the battery would lose it's power if stored in the camera for long amounts of time. I thought about my battery and brushed the thought aside. And now, while I wait the 90 minutes for the battery to charge so that I can catch the blossoms that are already...

via younghouselove.com. I love this! It's found in Huntington WV, a 6 hr drive from here. Should we make the trip? Ya think? young house love : a young, hip couple with a baby who buy older houses and decorate them with a new, fresh flair. I can't say how much I love home decorating and even though I don't have a lot of money or time, I sure do like to dream about what I can do with my own home. lovely morning : I just found this blog (off of someone else's fav list) and I love it as well. The author is creatively fresh and witty, with stylish pictures to boot. Oh, and she has a one year old she randomly takes pictures of. Something about a blogger with a baby makes me just melt! blurb : this is a wonderful site that makes books out of your pictures and writing. I would love to do it for my blog and probably will this year, since it's on my 2011 bucket list, but until I do, I will share this site with you. Oh, and speaking of my bucket list for 2011- I've crosse...

A, N and Jonah Now that my kids are getting older, there are things that I can do that I couldn't do before. Like, for example, chaperon a field trip. I couldn't do this before because they don't allow siblings and Asher was just too little. Now, Asher is in Preschool and I am able to spend time with my older children. On Wednesday I went to the Zoo with Ethan and Jonah's class. It was quite a different experience being the person in charge, rather than being the student. I enjoyed the kids squeals of delight at each little thing "look, a water fountain!" "A goat! I see a goat! (I think it was actually a gazelle)" and "A big, Daddy Lion!" The stress of losing one of my kids for a short moment/riding in the bumpy bus/being away from Asher was little compared to the little moments I will store away in my memory. Jonah grabbing onto my hand and then holding it for awhile after- a diamond in my treasure chest of cherished moments. I love my Jon...

If you drop a carton of eggs, five may survive. Maybe. This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Asher and his triple cyclops costume So, I've been sick. It seems like I get sick a lot. I started getting sick on Saturday, which was completely fine since it was General Conference Weekend- the weekend our Church watches and listens to the Apostles and Prophets speak and give us guidance and direction. We woke up Saturday morning, after having gone to see Mary and Jacob in their middle school play- Honk Jr! (Mary and Jacob both did very well and Mary does so well on the stage that they are doing Alice in Wonderland next year just for her to be Alice)- and saw that Elizabeth's both eyes were bright red and goopy. I took her to the Dr and yep, pink eye! Bleh. I still need to wash her pillow case. Josh took the boys to t-ball and they all came home with their uniforms- so cute! We watched Conference and slept a little too. My nose has just been so runny, plus a cough and a sore throat. Right when I am starting to train for my 10 K too! Bleh! Sunday was a quite day of watching ...