After you hit the ball you must run

Today John played his first T-ball game. It was so cold and windy outside that it was hard for the boys to have fun. They played a good game and worked hard. They were only beat by 14 points... And I'm ok with that! They are just learning the game and having fun. I also love the Coaches. They are really good at baseball and really good at building the kiddos self-confidence. John hit the ball both times that he was up to bat, he just forgot to run. I hate to mention this because it's kinda of bragging but it's my blog and I can do things like that. He is really good at throwing the ball. Like really good! Good control, speed and accuracy. Maybe I'm just pleasantly surprised that he is actually kinda good at something sports related. He doesn't get that from me. I can't even run in a strait line... It was a fun day and I'm glad that he has a good team and great coaches. Now to my sweet daughter: Dear Anna, You are three so you must stop asking when you can get your own cell phone, wear makeup, cook on the stove and get married. The answer is when you are 30. So now that you know, you can stop asking us everyday. Thank you. Love, Mom and Dad

If you're a kid Disney still has magic

Walt Disney World, also known as "The Magic Kingdom" or as my Mom so sweetly calls it, "The Happiest Place on Earth". For kids, maybe it's all those things but not so much if you're an adult who spent as much as a mortgage payment on tickets to the park, another $14 per day to park the rental van and another $30.00 per day to rent a double stroller only to make it into the park and end up buying nine dollar hot dogs (I am not exaggerating the cost of food. The hot dogs really were $8.67), fighting major crowds and waiting in a one or two hour line for most rides. As an adult, it's not so magical. In fact, it's the exact opposite of magical. It's frustrating and heartbreaking and sad. Yes, I know that it's my fault. I had high expectations and vivid dreams of how I thought Disney would be. I bought into the dream of "Disney Magic" that they have been selling for generations now. Before I even had children, I knew that I would try my hardest to make it to Disney World as a family. Maybe it's because my parents took me and my brother to Disney World when we were kids and it was magical for me then. Thank you Mom and Dad!

Thank goodness for Ryan's parents who paid for airline tickets, a nice van and an awesome timeshare for all of us to stay in. All we had to do was cover the cost of the tickets, our food and souvenirs. The hotel was amazing! The hotel pools were heated, clean and fun! Thank you John and Mariann! Without your kindness we would have never, ever been able to take our kids to Disney World and they both had so much fun.

There is just no cheap way to Disney. I tried, I planned, I hoped and I spent hours researching tips and tricks on-line. I had a plan people! You may be thinking, why pay to park? Shuttles to the parks aren't cheap or practical and there are major time restrictions. Why not pack your own food? Oh we did but you just can't carry enough food or water for a family of four and still survive the day. A heavy, overloaded bag would only add to your problems at Disney. You can't hold the bag all day but you can't leave it with an unattended stroller all day either. A day at Disney will make you feel more mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted than you could ever imagine. I felt nickel and dimed to death, I felt pushed around by food service people who refused to change wrong orders, I felt overwhelmed by the crowd and the procedures at Disney, things that should be simple like entering and exiting the park. The trams, the trains, the ferry, the parking, just everything. Speaking of nickel and dimed to death, they take pictures of you in the park, like the one posted above. They took 14 pictures and we have the option to purchase them for a mere 14.95 or more each. Needless to say, we just bought one. The icing on the cake is you have to order in a specific amount of time or they expire and you have to pay on a weekly basis to extend your viewing and ordering time. And just so ya' know John's shirt says LUCKY to be an American....

All that being said, I am so glad that we got to go. As a mother I am thankful. I will always remember the smiles that you only see on your kids faces at places like Disney. My kids are so precious to me and they had an awesome experience and LOVED every minute of it. My son getting to ride Space Mountain and other great rides with his Dad, the way he loves his Goofy hat, the way Anna lit up when she rode Dumbo and the way she laughed in the Buzz Lightyear ride. Those sweet memories are worth every small thing that I had to "endure". Small things that I made into a big things. And then those things like losing sunglasses and breaking cameras that don't belong to you. When I look back at this trip in 20 years and all the beautiful pictures that we have from the trip, I will not remember the price we paid for tickets and food or the rude Disney workers that wouldn't help me find my husband and son when I was lost. I will remember my husband, our kids and their happy, sweet faces and that time when the kids were little and we all got to go to Disney World.

It won't always be bloody noses and silent alarms.

And recently I have realized that if that's the worst day I have to deal with this week, I'm blessed and lucky and thankful. My week of bloody noses, wet beds, a sick kiddo and a silent alarm clock is easy compared to what the people around me are going through. My life is easy and my problems are small. The sad thing is that I have to learn that same lesson over and over again.

Today I learned that a girl in my son's 1st grade class has cancer, a rare and hard to treat cancer. Like most kids, she is sweet, happy and kind. When I went for the school Valentines party, she gave me my own valentine card and a big chocolate covered pretzel for me to take home. She melted my heart that day. I can't stop thinking of how much I want things to be alright and how I want her to know that she is loved. So now I am doing the only thing that I can. I am praying to my Heavenly Father and asking him, no pleading with him to draw near unto this little girl who needs his comfort, his love and his protection. Tonight Ryan and I gathered our family in prayer on her behalf and we will get down on our knees and pray for her and her family every night from now on. I am so thankful for the power of prayer and the comfort it offers to those who pray and the comfort and peace that it brings to those who are being prayed for. A good friend reminded me last night that our Savior Jesus Christ bears the burden of more than just sin. He also takes on our sorrow, our ailments and every thing else that we have ever felt and are willing to give him. So now I am asking any of you who feel prompted to pray for this sweet little girl Harmony, please do so.

Music is going to be the "deaf" of me

And probably sooner than later... You see when I work out at the gym, which is everyday except Sunday I listen to music on my ipod. Very loud music and it keeps me going. Really, it does, it's not my will power or my desire to be fit. I am convinced that I can not, I repeat can not work out without music and as I said, it must be loud. I have the "exercise playlist" down to a science. I have the most upbeat and make ya' wanna move songs just where they need to be. When I feel like I can't go any further, Usher's DJ's got us fallin in love again comes on followed by More. When muscle failure rears it's ugly head again, P!nk comes on with Perfect followed by Dynamite. Here's the thing. I don't want to stop. I actually love working out now. I always feel better when I leave the gym than I did before I got there. Today I was feeling a little, ummm grumpy or a better word might be aggressive. When we left the gym I felt satisfied, accomplished, sweaty, happy and I just knew I was leaving 5 pounds lighter than when I arrived.

I also love the fact that Ryan and I have grown closer over the past few weeks of dieting and exercising together. We have finally found something that we both like and we can do together. Sure in our 20's we had plenty to do together. Hanging out with friends, going to concerts, driving VW buses and sneaking into Bob Dylan shows but then came the best part of life, our kids. Then all the real joys and sweetness of life followed. One look at our sweet baby boy changed everything and I am so thankful. My kids really are the miracle that made my life complete. Without the love that I have for my children and the tremendous love they have given me, I would not know the true meaning of my life. I wouldn't have been capable of accepting and understanding the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so thankful to be the mother of my two beautiful children. Thankful that I get to have kisses and hugs everyday and laugh at the silly things that my three year old little girl says to me. Things like "my dad has parents!!!" and telling our dinner guest that she has "plenty of money in her piggy bank" Yesterday My six year old little boy had his first T-ball practice and today I got to see my sweet John climb a 20 foot rock wall. He had a harness, a rope and a safety person at the bottom. He struggled, he fell away but he tried again and made it to the top! It was hard for me to watch but exciting to see him keep trying. This was his fourth attempt and he finally made it and we were there watching his every move and cheering him on. I am truly thankful that he has grown into a person that will push himself to keep going when things get hard. I feel a Gospel lesson coming on! I can't wait to tie this experience to Lehi's vision of the Iron Rod. http://lds.org/liahona/1996/09/tree-of-life-lehis-dream-a-shared-vision?lang=eng&query=lehi