Happiness

   The kids goofy picture at the Tide Pools Every other year my family does a family reunion. It's been in Idaho at my Grandpa's place, in Bear Lake, in Utah and in Utah. Top Ten Highlights: 1-Family Talent Show with Knock knock jokes told, a studio C type sketch (done by my kiddos all on their own) and a cousin of a cousin Sage dancing up a storm. 2-When Aunt Janie pulled out Grandma Patty's costume jewelry and handed it out in bags with our names on it- specially thought out- and seeing Elizabeth's eyes glow. So sweet! Miss Grandma! 3- Playing in the ocean! The water was cool but you got used to it! Lovely! 4. Yummy food. My sister had the menu spot on. Of course, when you are not a foodie pretty much anyone else's menu rivals your own! 5. Chatting around the campsite- I love just sitting and chatting. It's awesome! 6. The tide pools- I love squishing the sea anemones until the...

        We are really loving this little one at this age. He is very mobile, can speak/communicate quite a few words (yummy, banana, blankie, binky). He is pretty tall for his age. The other day we took him to the park where there were quite a few two year olds and he blended right in! His legs get bent in car seat and wears 18 month pants. He love to run, to open jars with lids (quite a few messes), and anything ball or bubble oriented. His favorite foods are eggs- cooked any way-  Apples, pasta and chocolate chips (I have to share sometimes!) With a large age gap between Asher and Declan some think we are crazy. But, we are loving it! Especially when Elizabeth can watch him while I go grocery shopping. It's been lovely! Simply Lovely. -When I showed Declan the selfie feature on my phone, he just smiled! The second time he knew what it was right away and smiled away.

It takes 4-14 days for the Botox to kick in. On Monday I was sitting in a theater, watching a play with my family when all of a sudden my forehead fell asleep. Completely numb. My headache was/is still there. Actually it's been worse. Not sure if I'm going back for the second treatment. I'm trying meditation and yoga. I don't think that will cure it but it gives me patience. And patience is always good!

Asher turned 9 on July 8th. He requested a donut cake and then a Tardis Cake that same day and then a donut cake after I assured him that my cake making skills weren't up to the task of making a Tardis Cake. He went to scout camp that morning and had a great time! He said that it was his favorite part of the day even! When he got home, we had homemade pizza for dinner, presents then donuts. He got a really cool lego book for Grandma and GrandDad, a super cool lego set from Amy and Fox, legos from us along with a soccer ball and goalie gloves (which were actually football gloves- I'm not sure the difference). He immediately starting putting the lego set together and after dessert, got on his skin guards, cleats, gloves and took his ball outside for practice. It was a great 9th Birthday!  Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Some Summer fun- Making Marshmallow Shooters   Declan with his new ride!   Elizabeth and cousin E The kids running a 1K in Provo For awhile there, my headache was barely there. I was taking medicine and it was managing it all very well. I was hopeful that we had finally found a solution!  And then I began having nightmares. Every other day. Then almost every day. It was the medicine (Nortriptyline) that was causing it. I tried to decide between almost daily nightmares and a daily headache. The nightmares lost.  I talked to my headache specialist and he agreed that we should stop the med right away. I hoped there was one more med that he would recommend, but nope- I had gone through the gamut. The next thing on the list was botox injections. I won't tell you if I have a fear of needles or not (I do!). He said they did it in office, they did it all the time and when I found out my insurance would cover it, I agreed. Hesitantly. "So, wha...

Happy Wednesday! I just received a new-to-me lap top so I have decided to celebrate with a blog post! Yay! Happy Birthday to Asher who turns 9 today! He's at Scout Day Camp today and I hope they do a little something for him. More on that later! As you know, we have been looking for a permanent, full time position for Josh for quite a while now. It's been hard. Hard searching. Hard getting rejected for an open position again and again. It's hard budgeting our money. Let's be honest. I love to shop. I love to go shopping and get a good deal, even though sometimes it's not something I need. I'm not perfect, but I've learned a few things that have helped me manage a family of 7 on little-no income coming in. Here are my Top Five Tips of how to budget your money- especially hen your budget is tight. Top Five $ Tips: 1. Stay away from couponing/ money saver sites (when your budget it very tight). Yes, I know it is awesome that I can buy tha...