Race Day

Bountiful Tsunami Tri
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How to Ride a Bike without training wheels...

The training wheels came off and according to Pie this is how you ride a bike:

Me: Pie how do you ride a bike without training wheels?

Pie: You hold the wheel steady and you gotta FOCUS!

Me: And you tell yourself I think I can I think I can

(I said this because when I was running along side her I heard her say it)

Pie: NO mom, I KNOW I can!

Little stink!  I love that confidence!

Grahams go with everything...

I love graham crackers.  I think they go with just about anything, chocolate, marshmallow, a cold glass of milk, icing, you name it.  My mom says when each of us kids were blessed as babies, she asked my dad to bless us with a sense of humor.  I am grateful for that!  This life is hard at times, and if you can throw in a little humor it helps. I went to the UPS store today to mail back some company returns.  The box was had been in my office and then in the back seat of my car.  The box had some generic dental and medical supplies in it.  I went to tape the box shut and noticed the edge of a zip-lock baggie, I opened the box back up and found a zip-lock full of graham crackers.  Obviously at some point one of my kids dropped them in there.  Then I had a little vision of this warehouse worker un-packing  returns to open this box and find a baggie of graham-crackers thinking to himself  "what the heck?"  I was tempted to put a note with the grahams that said, "take 5 love the Bingham kids" but thought I might get in trouble. So, according to my kiddos Grahams also go with Dental supplies

To be or not to be...continued

Not going private for now.  In case you were wondering I had someone throw me under the bus at work and another someone that I think, I made feel bad (unintentionally).  There are things that I like about 'private' and things I like about not private.  And to clarify, those of you with 'positive blogs'  I love your blogs!  I've said it before, I am super grateful for blogger,  it is the longest running journal and or scrapbook I've ever kept.

4 doors down

I was standing in my kitchen yesterday afternoon and I heard sirens, lots of sirens. I thought man, those sound close. The phone rang and Indy said the neighbors four doors down had their house marked off with yellow tape and had full scale emergency vehicles out front. I walked outside and looked up UofU life-flight was circling. My neighbors started pouring out of their houses. What could have happened? Nice family 3 kids, the dad is full service military and had just deployed on June 4th. It was their son. Their 15 year old boy that hung out with good friends all weekend and had just said the prayer in Sunday School the day before. Shot himself. His friends found him and started CPR. They life-flighted him and did Surgery to keep him stable on life-support until his Dad could get there. The note said something about feeling like a failure and that he could never measure up. Why and How? How does a 15 year old boy that is loved and supported by a good family and great friends feel that way? My heart is so full. Our neighborhood took flowers over to plant in their yard and lay at their doorstep. Our hearts and prayers are with them.
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Surf's up Bubba is One!

This is my first attempt at a fondant cake....It's a surfboard...I don't think I will play with fondant again it stressed me out!

Happy Birthday Bubba! We love you!!!

A 'funny' on fathers day

I had all 4 kiddos with me on Saturday at Walmart. I saw these shirts and I thought "oh that would be fun for the kids" Obviously I didn't READ the shirt until I got home. When I realized my mistake. Master says, "mom let's give it to him anyway, it will be funny" We laughed our guts out this morning when he opened it. I will say shout out to fathers everywhere! They have a big job. I am a lucky girl. I have been blessed with a father that has given me more than worldy possessions can buy, and a husband that is more than I could have ever wished for. Happy Fathers Day!

It's official!

This kid is officially ours. He loves double stuff Oreos. If he didn't Indy would start to wonder where he came from :)

How does your garden grow/

What is the opposite of a green thumb? A black thumb? That is me!!!! I love flowers. I have tried this before and failed! This year so far so good. I think the rain has helped.

What it's really all about.

The shoes!  What was I thinking?  I sometimes forget my kids have ears.  Last week when Indy and I were discussing the modesty thing Pie says, " you can pick out my dress, but REALLY it's all about the shoes.  I get to pick out my prom shoes."  AGREED.  I said Pie you can wear any shoes you want.  (Within reason of course the ones pictured above are Jimmy choo and if she wants those she better start saving now.)

To be or not to be Private and Comparisons

I'm thinking it's time.  I try to be as open and as transparent as possible on my blog but I've had two really bad experiences in the last two weeks;  it has come back to haunt me. Have you ever sat down to read a blog and it made you feel bad?  Maybe you were not in the best place yourself and then you looked at someone else's "perfect life". And try as you might you compared.  When we compare it leads to jealousy and pride, both are extremely destructive.  They are negative thoughts which only lead to more negative emotions.  There is a great quote by Sister Hinkley (which I am determined to find) that talks about pride is not in the having it's in the comparing.   When we read other people's blog we have no control over what they post.  It's their blog after-all.  If they choose to post only positive stuff then that is their right.  On the positive side, I think blogging and sharing is awesome.  It has allowed me to see and hear the perspective of others.  It has allowed my to keep current with what is going on in someones life that I may not see very often.  I may not see or know that person but their words may touch my heart and help me in a way they will never know.  On the negative side, I know that for me I can't go blog surfing if I'm in a negative place.  It's like giving Satan an open pass to plant negative thoughts and feelings.  As much as I try to give a true picture on my blog; I edit.  Have you read "The Secret"?  I don't always want to throw my negative thoughts and feelings to the universe by blogging about them.
What is the solution?  Go private?  I think if it makes you feel bad, don't read it.  If  my blog has made someone feel bad or less than; I truly apologize.  Meanwhile I'm not sure what to do; any thoughts out there?

Uncle and Faith

Remember the hand game you played as kids where you had your knuckles squished backwards until you cried "Uncle".  Everyone has stuff (trials) that they are dealing with big or small, wide or narrow, yesterday, today and tomorrow everyone has 'stuff' they are dealing with.   If we didn't have stuff there would be no growth, no change.  I don't believe my 'stuff'' is any bigger or weightier than anyone else's.  It's just mine and I have to figure it out.  My Dad is dying.  It's a reality that I am accepting in small moments.  His first diagnosis was 2-5 years. Now it is looking like 6-9 months.  He is in Oregon with my beyond awesome sister, and because of the distance I don't have a constant reminder, the clock is ticking and this is going to happen.  But the reminders are there and they are coming more frequently.  When we first found out Sport had Down Syndrome I told Indy I could handle a special needs child, but I couldn't handle a special needs child AND a traveling husband.  Things are constantly changing and evolving for Indy at work and it's meant A LOT of travel.  Some of you may say, no big deal.  My full time job, plus four busy kids, plus special needs child that is 8 and still in diapers = a good amount of stress.  I have always wanted to be a 'stay at home mom;  for various reasons (mostly health insurance) it just hasn't worked out that way.  About 2 months ago the still small voice started whispering I needed to pay attention as in CLOSE attention to my children.  I get one chance to take 4 awesome little people and help them grow into awesome big people. Because of the stress and demands of my job I feel like I am constantly multi-tasking; looking at my phone, returning emails, stressing about work, when the soccer game, dance recital or small child saying 'mommy' should have my full attention vs. "hold on a minute".  If I ask them to hold on for too many minutes they are going to be old and leaving the house before I give them my attention. UNCLE UNCLE UNCLE  Time for a change. After pondering and pondering and praying....Nothing felt right.  Finally a good friend said, "you need to exercise faith" DUH.  I made a decision and figured at some point if I was on the wrong path the Lord would re-direct.  I told my boss 4 weeks ago I was quitting or in this case retiring.  I think he almost fainted.  The last 9 months at work I have been busting my fanny to turn my territory around.  Honestly a year ago when I had Noah it was in the dumps. The hard work has paid off and things are finally turning around.
My retirement plan lasted 5 days.  My region director got wind of it and said, 'No, you can't quit'.  Serious?  Remember how I said I would have faith if I wasn't on the path I would get redirected?  This is my new direction.  I am staying with my awesome awesome company.  I am switching to strictly handling Special Market, and a handful of large group practices.  I'm excited about this opportunity; I think it's a great opportunity.  I will be saying good-by to my regular accounts.  Some of those accounts I have called on for 15 years, 8 years, 1 year, and all I consider not just my clients but my friends.  Change is hard, but change is good.

Ready to Roll

Becoming a great little driver

had her first 'solo' with Brian running alongside

Thinks he should be able to drive (Someday Sport)

Happy to chill

Training on the John Derre

I couldn't resist posting all of these. I was far enough away I couldn't hear what they were saying but it was highly entertaining to watch them.

G.O.A.L.

Get. Out. And. Live. I borrowed this acronym from the Ogden Chamber because I love it. As a family we've made a goal to get out there and explore the world around us. Pics are from the trail halfway up Trappers Loop on your way to Snowbasin

Nuff said

It's funny how you let things lie for a week and you wonder what you were so worked up about.  As for church last Sunday I think Satan must have been sitting on my shoulder. I do believe modesty is a 'weightier matter' and like my BFF Kath stated in her comment it begins at age 6 not 16.  As I've thrown this topic around this week Indy said to me, "It doesn't really matter what you or Pincess pick out for her to wear to the prom; I know how 16 year old boys think and I get the final say." So ...that's that....nuff said.

Hell in a Hand-basket

Some Sundays I come home from church and I am convinced this is where I'm going.  I was in a good place today. (I thought) Sacrament meeting was great, Sunday School was great, Relief Society I had high hopes for, but it didn't turn out that way.  The lesson was on Julie B. Beck's talk about fulfilling your mission and the teacher focused  on being the "lioness at the doorway".  Our ward has two distinct geographic neighborhoods to it.  Everyone that she quoted and held up as an example was from her neighborhood. Fine whatever, if they are all lionesses in that neighborhood, what does that make the rest of us?  She then continued to hold up her sister-in-law as a great lioness because she baked cookies for her son's Prom date to thank her for wearing a modest dress. I think that's weird. When I was in high school I would have thought that super weird....again fine whatever... She then told another example of her other sister-in-law that lives in California.  Apparently because there were no modest LDS girls in her son's ENTIRE high school she drove 2 hours south to pick up a girl that he had met at youth conference so he could take Her to his Prom; thus this awesome mom is a 'lioness at the gate'.   I am obviously not a lioness at the gate because I wouldn't do either thing as a mom.  In this example I see a mom that said it's ok to judge your entire high school female population as not  modest because none of them are LDS. ? really?   I know I know, surely I don't have the whole story.....But it got me thinking about my own prom dresses and modesty.  Mine were mostly modest, some may have showed a little shoulder, and a little back.  I certainly didn't go dressed as a pioneer but it could have been worse.  One of my cute friends that was head cheerleader, she had a few sassy numbers and she looked freakin hot in them.  She is now currently serving as the young women's president in her ward....so what do you make of that?  This is what I make of it.  My mom was a lioness at the gate because she wasn't freaking out about a little shoulder or a little back showing.  Her trust and relationship meant more than a hard line in the sand about a dress.  I guarantee if she had made it an issue; I would have made it an issue right back; because that's what teenagers do.  The lesson right before RS in Sunday school was on hypocrisy.  We read in the Bible (Mathew 23) where they (scribes and pharisees) had paid their tithes, gave to the poor attended worship services and went regularly to the temple. Jesus (in my words) said great but you missed the boat.  They missed the faith, charity and 'weightier matters'. Jesus says they have 'blinders' on.  I am scared, as in scared to death to navigate the teenage years with my children and I know I will make PLENTY of mistakes. My interpretation of the 'lioness at the door" is this: my mom did a great job with all of us and I pray I will follow her example and be in tune to the 'weightier matters' of my children's lives.

What cha been up to?

This is how I feel. After April and May I am ready for a big long nap! From projects to parties, sports, work, year-end to-do's and everything in-between we survived!.....Now on to Summer!!! I've got the chore charts made and the calendar chuck full! It's gonna be great! (ok it will be great after I maybe hopefully get that nap!!!) Page down there are like 17 new posts!

Trophies

Master ended up with two trophies. Those trophies mean a lot when you are 10. Sport was looking at the trophies and Master said, " Sport, I know you want a trophy, you can have one of mine". Indy told Master how cool that was, that he would offer, but Master Jonny had a special trophy he was presenting to Sport at the end of the tournament. Make my heart happy!

Weapons division for Master

Karate Tournament

Obviously my camera settings for 'action shots' needs help, but these were too awesome not to post. In the picture below look at the poeple's faces behind Sport....they tell the story