Counting our Blessings Since 1995

Long time- No hear!

2010-05-02T20:03:00.001-07:00

It has been a long time since my last entry but things have been busy. Taylor finally has a lose tooth although I was really hoping that she wouldn't lose any teeth until after she turned 8. School is almost out and the kids are really itching for the summer. Makenzie made the basketball cheer squad for her 8th grade year and she was so excited! 79 girls tried out for 40 spots, so this was a huge accomplishment for her! Parker has mastered a personal computer device that allows him to form full sentences. The district is considering allowing him to have it for the summer. I hope so since one of them costs anywhere from 5 to 7 thousand! We didn't do much this weekend except work around the house and attend Makenzie's play. She was a soloist in the "Dear Edwina Jr" play and she did a really good job. She is really glad that the play is done becasue she is exhausted. Honestly I am too! Today at church, Taylor bore a perfect testimony and at the end before she closed, she announced that it was her first time fasting. It was so cute and she was so excited to announce to us this morning that since she was almost 8 she felt that she was ready. So precious! Of course before church was out- she was starving! Well- it is late... Love and Hugs

Happy Easter...

2010-04-04T12:24:00.000-07:00

Oh do I love the feel of Spring, and all the glory it brings with it. I really don't feel like we have had a gradual return to spring in that it went from being super cold to like 85 degree super hot! Yesterday we took the kids to the Y (which we have joined) for their little spring Carnival/egg hunt. It was a good time for the two younger ones, but Makenzie opted to not go because she was too old to participate in the egg hunts. She enjoyed her afternoon and loved the opportunity to watch a movie and have popcorn all to herself! As I have been out of practice in taking my camera everywhere, I forgot my camera at home. Bummer for me, but we had a great time. Taylor even won a prize! Friday night Adam and I saw the movie "Clash of the Titans", it was a good movie and had much better graphics and a much better story line than the original one from the 80's. Now here we are- Sunday, and I woke up earlier to start the our day. I let Adam sleep in, although is it really sleeping in when you always get up that late? Hmmmm, I will have to think on that one. After I made the kids a good egg/sausage and cheese burrito I started to prep for the remainder of the day. Everyone got busy, showering, cleaning up rooms and making beds so that all would be done in time to sit and watch conference. With the roast in, cake made, and eggs freshly decorated- we were all able to sit and enjoy the first session of conference. Oh do I love to hear our Prophet speak. It is especially times like this that I miss my Utah family and more selfishly, The St.George Temple. I am so craving the need to attend the Temple... I am going to try to put together a group of sisters who would like to go, since Adam and I can't leave that kids that long. (It would be like 7-8 hours that they would be home alone and we just couldn't do that!) Now, I am waiting for the last session of conference. My friend Brandi (non-member) is coming over and then afterwards the missionaries will be joining us for dinner. Speaking of missionairies, the Sister Missionary who was a part of MY disscussions has found me on FB. Can you believe that? So FB has it's advantages sometimes! May this day be filled with our thoughts centered around our Loving Heavenly Father and Our Savior Jesus Christ... Love and Hugs-

Yeah for me!

2010-03-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

Today is my last day here at school! Can you believe it? I am so excited that I can not stand it..... the last 9 months have been so much fun and such a whirl wind but at the same time... I have missed being at home with my family! I will take my boards (state test) in May! On to other news.... we have a new set of missionaries..and this time it is sisters- Sister Eversole from Orem and Sister Paterson from Canada. We had them over for dinner last night and had a fantastic time with them. We did a breakfast for dinner and Taylor did the lesson. Last nights lesson was about how we need to pray reverently, use the proper language and the order of prayer, then we read the scriptures. It was a very wonderful night and we ended it with strawberries and cream for our treat. Last night as we sat around our living room, I really felt the spirit and I really do feel that I have an amazing life and an amazing family. I am so grateful for all that I have and for where I am in my life because of the gospel. Love and Hugs-

What?

2010-03-08T07:39:00.000-08:00

I simply titled my new post as "what"? because I am not sure of my mood today. It is Monday and I am at school- which normally I don't go on Mondays. I am here to get hours racked up since this is my last two weeks of the last 9 months. I should be at home... at the gym! You would not believe how much I miss working out and feeling good. Although I watch what I eat, I have put on weight. I am the kind of person that NEEDS to work out if I want to keep the weight off! So... I am committed to ONCE again, going back on the wagon.
I have been putting a lot of time into school and studying. I had the awesome opportunity to say the opening prayer at the baptism of one of my CTR 7 kids. I could hardly make it through the prayer because I truly felt the spirit there. There were about 12 sets of missionaries there, and 3 of them bore their testimonies in Portuguese-(which is where Daniels family is from) It was awesome! Although we couldn't understand the words, I could definitely feel the spirit touching my heart. It was one of the best- not to mention the food was delicious... all Brazilian cuisine. Adam has kept busy with work.... so I feel that he and I haven't had much time together! It has been so hard but I do see the light at the end of the tunnel. We did get to see "Alice in Wonderland" which was okay. Not one of the best but not one of the worst either. Well- gotta run... Love and Hugs-

Loving Life...

2010-03-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

So today is Tuesday and guess what? It is SNOWING!! It is sooo pretty here and just looking out the window at school reminds me of Christmas! Actually, I wish I was at home, on the couch, reading a good book! This past week went by very fast and I am happy to report that nothing major happened. Adam went do NC mid-week, and I stayed home, went to school and worked on my studies. I had a great lesson in primary on Our Savior.... and at this moment, I feel so blessed. We love it out here, but at times we like to reflect on our life back in Utah. Life is so funny because I never thought I would move away from everyone and yet... I'm okay. I guess that saying "never say never" is so true! I am in my final month of school and can NOT wait... I have learned a lot of great things and hope to SOME day in the future put this new knowledge to good use. Well- must go study.... Love and Hugs....

Busy as Bee's

2010-02-23T17:34:00.000-08:00

We had a long week here in the South. I have finished all my clinicals (about 2 weeks ago) so I have been literally going to school for hours. I do work on clients when I am requested, why not keep practicing? I am trying to get all my hours in before the end of March... I hope on being done on or around March 25th. We did get to make a quick trip to S.Carolina with Adam, we didn't get to do much just because it WAS such a quick trip but it was nice to be with him and stay a family. I am really looking forward to finally being out of school... it is cold here and rainy and I really want to send the kids off to school and crawl into bed with a good book! Doesn't that sound sooo good? Enjoy your week... Love and Hugs...
P.s- Hey Cindy... I sent you a text... love and miss you women!

Happy Hearts Day!

2010-02-08T13:38:00.001-08:00

I have been super busy in this first part of Feb. I had just gotten home from the Savannah trip (which you can see some pics of) and then I had to get Taylor ready for her daddy/daughter dance. What a fun time for her. I was able to go because I volunteered and had I not, I wouldn't have been able to go. No mothers were allowed! So of course I'm gonna volunteer because I wanted pictures. It was so cute to see Adam so lovingly dance with his daughter. She wanted to dance the night away and by the end of the dance... she was exhausted! Last weekend my in laws were here after going on a week cruise they spent 3 days with us. It was so nice to be able to see them and share some laughs. The men watched the Super Bowl and we women watched the Ace of Cakes... napped... read.... ate. The usual. We took them bowling on Monday while the kids were in school- that was so much fun! They left on Tuesday morning and I hated to say good-bye. I love my in-laws and really miss all my family. Today is Makenzies birthday and I HATE it! Why do our kids have to grow up so fast. Seems like when they are babies you can't wait to hear their first word or see who they are going like... and now? She is 13 and I want time to stop! Since the kids are out of school tomorrow (and Tuesday) she is goin to her friends house! On her birthday! I dont want her to but.... Adam said she could. Yesterday- I took her out to get her a new haircut.. and a new dress for church.. Adam got her some ankle boots..and a pair of Coach tennis shoes and red roses. For her family birthday dinner she chose to go to the Texas Roadhouse. Tomorrow we are goin to take her and 3 friends out to a movie and lunch. She can't wait.

Fabulous Febuary!

2010-02-01T18:03:00.001-08:00

I can not believe that Feb is here! Ahhhh- Makenzie is a few days a way from being the lovely wonderful age of 13. Yes.. go ahead... feel sorry for me! A teenager! Wow... where did all those years go?
We had a busy two weeks. Last weekend I was able to go with our ward to the Nashville Temple and I loved loved loved it! There is no greater joy than being able to do a session. We happened to be there for Adams work so he stayed with the kids and I did a session. It was wonderful. This past weekend Makenzie and I went to Savannah to participate in a festival of the best of the best choirs. Oh my gosh... so much talent! Makenzies school was the only middle school invited to participate and they are so amazing. All the other choirs were composed of high schools from across the state. We had a great time and it was fun to be a chaperone. This past week she was picked to be in her schools show choir. I wanna see "jazz hands"! Other than that... life at the Wallicks place is just moving along nicely. Love and Hugs

A Weak Week

2010-01-17T16:30:00.000-08:00

Not much happened this past week. Adam had gone out of town Monday... and I hated it! Later that night the kids and I were able to go and hear Makenzie perform in her Chamber Choir concert. This group of girls is so amazing- I was honestly impressed. They will head to Savannah at the end of the month for a competition and I get to go with as a chaperon. I am so excited to hear them again. The rest of the week I kept busy with school, and shuffling Makenzie to YM and Chamber Choir practice and getting Adam home from the MARTA, and studying. Adam and I got our date Friday night, we went to dinner and a movie- Sherlock Holmes. It was good. Yesterday, Makenzie had her All State Choir second audition 8:30 in the morning. She thinks she did a good job... we should find out sometime this week if she made it or not. These auditions are very tough and you have to be prepared. She is singing songs I have never even heard of but they are beautiful. We wish her luck! She will also be auditioning for the school spring musical titled "Dear Edwina". Her call time is a 6:30 on Thursday evening. I don't know how she does it! She is an amazing daughter, and she is getting all A's and two B's.
**** Since I wrote this on Sunday night- we made a quick trip to Greenville S.C with Adam for a work issue, and it was a lot of fun. We came back yesterday in enough time to have dinner and FHE with the missionaries. Then this morning... we received word that Makenzie made the All State Choir! Hope you all have a wonderful week! Love and hugs-

Happy 2010!

2010-01-04T19:40:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas and a great New Years! As you can see- Christmas Eve we had the missionaires over for dinner and then some friends of ours from our ward joined us for dessert. After seeing everyone off, Taylor sprinkled reindeer food out in our front lawn and she anxiously awaited for the arrival of Santa. I love having Christmas with my kids...it really is a magical time of the year... when they hope and wish for such insignificant things... we as adults wish for health and secure jobs. Oh the good ol days! Christmas morning was fun as it always is and the missionairies were back to eat breakfast and spend the early part of the day with us. In the afternoon we went to see "Avatar" which was awesome! (our new tradition since moving out here is to go to a movie on Christmas Day) Our kids loved it! The next day... I went back to school and life went on. Weird that our school wouldn't close. Then Monday night of this past week Adam got a wild hair, booked the Hilton in Marco Island Florida and Tuesday (after I went and took a test at school) we were on our way! We had an amazing time... sigh! I want to do that EVERY year from now on. Our friends were down the road at the Marriot so we joined them daily since their hotel was more kids friendly with activities, crafts,water park with a slide.. you know... more fun stuff. Our hotel seemed more adult friendly. So New Years eve we had dinner there at one of the restaurants and by doing so we got free admittance to either an adult bash or a family party with a dj and free pop. So- we took the kids and partied for 2 hours. It was fun to watch Taylor and her friend Ellie (daughter to one of Adams co-workers- the little boy in the pics with Kenz and me is "JB" who was adopted last Dec from Ethiopia and he is adorable!) -dance their feet off and Parker too! I was shocked that Parker even lasted that long! We had a great week even after the weather turned cold. You can't tell but when we were on the beach it was super cold! The pic of Parker and Tay in the pool was takin on the same day- it was so cold but we Wallicks know how to party! Later that day we drove into Naples- went to the pier-walked around their 5th Ave and had dinner at Cheesecake Factory. It was a great week but... alas... all good things come to an end! Ha- now we are home and just sent the missionairies back home as well after a great FHE. Taylor was in charge and her lesson today was about Matthew 25:1-13- the parable of the 10 virgins. Elder Clark gave his scripture from Alma 5:28. Then Makenzies thought of the day was taken from "Stand a little Taller" by Pres Hinckley for this day of Jan 4th. You know what? With out anyone knowing what the other was gonna do - it too was about Alma 5:28! So the lesson tonight... is be prepared for the day when Christ will come again. We all agreed that Heavenly Father definitely had a hand in tonights lesson since pretty much the same message was given without anyone telling the other what was prepared before hand. Taylor had made a "vessel" out of salt dough as her oil lamp and held it as she taught us the parable. So cute. I wish you all a very Happy 2010 and may we all think about way we can prepare ourselves and our families! Love and Hugs-

All in Good Time....

2009-12-20T17:21:00.000-08:00

I have not had a chance really to blog but since it is Sunday night... I thought I would take a few minutes. The Wallick Family is doing great! We have had a few events the past few weeks that are note worthy. Makenzie was in a talent show at her school, and it was really fun to see her and her friends perform a skit in which she played Millie Cyrus. It was really cute because one of her little friends Noah wrote it and to be honest- it was good! I bet he grows up to be a writter of some sort. One friend was Brad Pitt, one was Lady Gaga, and the other was a boyfriend to Makenzie's character. Very cute. We went to Canton Ga to see a baptist church put on a very very good "Back to Bethlehem". It was amazing and we were all transported back in time to a market in the city of Bethlehem. The costumes were amazing and all involved stayed in character the whole time. There were spice vendors, breads, fruits, nuts, fish, basket weaving, jewelry, leather crafters, brick makers, metal forgers, all kinds of stuff. The fish market was the best! Real HUGE fish! The kids loved it. We also had Makenzie's Christmas Choir concert and that was very good since it didn't involve your traditional songs. I have been busy with school and trying to study and write my thesis. I am at 662 hours and only need 338 more hours and have to only do 12 more facials! I have really been working hard to gain all the knowledge I can... I want to be one of if not the BEST!
Last week I spoke in Sacrament... that is always fun! My talk was about Reverence on Sunday and how we can prepare our families before church. I know this may sound weird but I didn't and do not mind having to speak, it is always a good way to rebuild your testimony. Today in Primary, the Stake Presidency came in and they chose Taylor to be Mary, a boy Jared from my class to be Joseph, and three more boys from my class to be the wise men. I am so glad that my camera was in my car- it was precious! Taylor did a great job in her role as the Virgin Mother, and she said "she drew from her experience from Drama class, and ignored that there were other people in the room." She is so smart! Well- not much else to report other than life is busy! We have plans with friends here from our ward for Christmas Eve and are looking forward to baking and caroling. We love our friends and family here and although we love it here... we will miss our Utah family and friends. Love and Hugs-

Sunday is a Special Day...

2009-11-29T16:15:00.000-08:00

I love Sundays! I love the peace and quiet that I have.. one day a week! We had a great Thanksgiving Holiday and I hope you did as well. We started the week off with Parker turning 10. After an early movie (Planet 51)and to a wonderful lunch of his choice-he picked "On the Border", we headed to Target and let him spend his cash that both sets of grandparents sent him. He had a blast picking out his new "Indiana Jones" Lego set and was excited to get home to play his new Wii game. Later that night we headed to the MARTA and then to the airport to pick up my sister and her boyfriend who flew in from Phoenix Az. It was so fun to have her here- on Thanksgiving we headed over to cousin Julie and Jays and had a wonderful time! I meant to take pictures but... you know how that goes! After finally leaving there around 10:30 at night we rounded up two of Makenzies bffs and put everyone to bed to get rest for Black Friday! I got my sister and the girls up at 4 am and we made it to the madness of Walmart at 5:02! This may be my last year of this..it just doesn't seem worth it! I can't believe I'm saying that, but it is true! We were so tired but.. I even took my sister to my school and gave her a facial! Saturday.. uggh what a day! Adam and Makenzie left early to do Baptisms for the dead in the Alabama Temple and the rest of us went on a new walking-running-biking trail. The two little ones had fun and it really wore them out- we were there for 2 hours. At the end of the walk we cheered Parker on and he went running to my sister with open arms (who was standing next to the car)and she thought he was gonna give her a hug but he went past her and kissed and hugged the car! Later that night we drove Debra and Heath to the MARTA and said goodbye! It was so fun to have them here and we look forward to the next time. After that we picked up Adam and Makenzie... she said it was the best experience of her life. She has really loved our move and I couldn't be more grateful. We have so many things to be thankful for and we are so thankful for all we enjoy- hope you do too! Love and Hugs-

Yup... it is that time again!

2009-11-18T14:22:00.000-08:00

As you can see, the Wallick family spent last FHE writing letters to Santa and making cookies. That was a fun night for the kids since they were not expecting to do that! It was fun to see Parker try to write down what he wanted and then act it out for us. Last week blew by and now here we are a week later! My friend Brandi enjoyed church and wants to come again. We had a good lesson with the Elders and again it is always good for me to be able to rebuild my testimony. Adam is gone to Florida for the rest of the week and I am so dreading having to get up extra early in the morning! We are looking forward to the weekend when he comes home. Monday is Parkers birthday and he will be 10! Wow- he is really growing and learning by leaps this year. He can finally write his name and we are thrilled! I am very tired so I will close by saying.... "Have you done something good today?" Go out and make this world a better place! Love and Hugs- PS- The Elders are Elder LeaLao and Elder Leavitt- they are our third set since we have been here and we LOVE EM!!!

2009-11-09T07:06:00.000-08:00

Remember November.....

2009-11-09T06:48:00.000-08:00

We are FINALLY headed towards the end of the year... and as usual, I can't believe that it is almost over. We have a lot of blessings to be grateful for- most importantly, that we are all safe, and healthy. We have really enjoyed our time out here especially since we feel so much closer as a family and so much closer to our Heavenly Father. We have become close with all the missionaries who have served in our area, and have really loved having them in our home. This past week, a young girl I go to school with wanted to meet with them since she had so many questions that I didn't feel knowledgeable to answer. She has committed to read the Book of Mormon and is coming over this Sunday to go to church with us and then have her first official discussion. Regardless of what choice she makes, I am grateful for this opportunity to rebuild my own testimony. Last year and this year (around this Holiday time) seems that I have a lump in my throat, almost like I need a good cry. Not because I'm sad or lonely or missing anything- just because I love my life, I am so grateful and I couldn't have even imagined "me" being where I am and having the family that I have. I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving- my MUCH OLDER (ha ha Debra!) sister Debra will be here and is possibly looking to relocate here. Should be fun, especially since she is used to the hot desert of Phoenix AZ!
Love and Hugs-

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T19:24:00.000-08:00

As you can tell by the photos we had a good end to a very LONG week! Adam went as an "80's hair band roadie", I was the "Botox Fairy", Kenzie went as a "Clemson Tigers Fan"-with her best friend Avery, Parker was a "Pirate"-again, and Taylor was a "Pretty Kitty"-again! I was really glad that we were able to recycle last years costumes because I don't think I had it in me to be creative. We had a great time at our ward party. Adam received the award for the most "Original Costume". He looked so good especially since he tapered or "corn rolled" his jeans. Wow! That really dates me! He also won First Place for his chili! After the party of eating and dancing we headed out to the parking lot for some candy! I'm so glad that it quit raining long enough for us to do that. (It started to rain Friday night and literally stopped long enough for our party and then started again.) After our ward party we headed home to trick or treat around our neighborhood and Kenzie headed to her friend Dana's house for an after party. Parker and Taylor were very tired by the time it was all said and done, and to be honest- so was I! Hope your Halloween was just as fun! Love and Hugs-
P.S- We found out on Friday that Makenzie made it to the Second round of All State Choir Auditions!

Wowwie Wow Wow!

2009-10-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

In keeping with the Wallick tradition... we have been busy! These days seem to flow into on another and it seems that time is moving sooo fast! We have a lot of things going on with the kids.. my school... Adams work. You know the drill... LIFE! We are so looking forward to Halloween and already feel the chill in the air. I love LOVE love this time of the year. It is so pretty here with the changing of the leaves- it is the only time thru out the year that I light my pumpkin spiced candle. The weather here makes me long to curl up with a good book by the fireplace but.. there aren't enough hours in the day to allow that to happen! I just completed a course in microderm-microcurrent(weekend face lift) and LED. It was a lot of fun... I just wish I was done! The kids are looking forward to carving pumpkins and the Ward party on Sat... as for myself... Im just looking forward to making it to the weekend! Hope all is well with you... Love and Hugs...

The Wallick Way....

2009-10-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

Whew! It feels so good to finally take a load off my feet and sit down for a sec! We had a crazy week filled with lots of activities. Makenzie has been practicing to try out for State Choir so she had late practice Monday night(and of course Adam had to be out of town!) and then we were in a rush to get FHE done and treats wrapped up to go booing in the neighborhood. Then of course Tuesday night is always YM for her,so after practice it's rush home to feed her and send her off. Thank goodness for carpooling! Wednesday after school I rushed home to get kids off the bus, get them each showered-redressed and dinner made and everyone fed so that we could get Makenzie to her fall concert. She looked so pretty in her formal (it is the same black one from last year- although new green ones should be in soon) The kids are really good and Im always amazed at how many kids are in the choir. Currently there is almost 200 6th-8th grade boys and girls and they sound great! Thursday I was so excited to head out the door in the morning because I knew at lunch time I would be off to pick up Adam from the MARTA. To celebrate his return home... I made him go shoe shopping for Parker- who has finally had a growth spurt and needed new church shoes. That didn't sit too good with Tay- since she insisted she needed new shoes as well. We told her as soon as we got home we would check her inventory and go from there. As her luck would have it- she needed some new shoes too- so Friday nights date was dinner and shoe shopping for Tay! Sat-uggh what a day! Early in the morning we were off to Road Atl for the motorcycle races. Awesome day for Parker since we got VIP passes from our friend Jessica. Her boyfriend works for Pirelli and was so nice to let Parker into the Tire area. During a race it takes the crew 7 seconds to change the tires! CRAZY! Then after a few hours there we whisked Makenzie to her State Choir tryouts. THOUSANDS of kids from grade 7th-12th tryout from across the state (there were lots and lots and lots of buses)and each year the tryout location is different. For the first round we only had to drive about an hour away. The tryouts consist of sight reading, vocal tryout and tonel memory. It is very nerve wracking and difficult because each kid has a solo audition in front of two judges. The lower the score you get the better. For instance- a 10 is the best you can get and a 20 would be the worst. We got the call at 9 p.m that Makenzie had scored an 11.5! We hope that she will get a call to the second rounds of auditons! We wont know until November. Sunday was Stake Conf and that was of course AWESOME! Tay was able to see her artwork on display and she was thrilled. Later that day we headed off to Macon Ga with plans to head to the State fair on Monday. As our luck would have it- Parker wasnt feeling well and it rained. True to Wallick form though- Parker took some medicine and we forged ahead with umbrellas in hand. It was awesome and our kids are such troopers! Makenzie was so good to go on all the baby rides with her brother and sister. She really didn't have a choice since most of the big rides were closed because of the weather. Now... I am finally able to relax and take a deep breath before another hectic week! Love and hugs...
P.s- Makenzie had auditioned for Chamber Choir and was second alternate however, when her choir teacher found out Makenzies score and realized how hard she worked on her sight reading and tonel memory she asked to see her today. She said "welcome to chamber choir- good job!" She was so excited!

The Great Pumpkin.....

2009-10-05T19:26:00.001-07:00

Or as they say here in the south... "punkin". We had a great week. I tell you- the weekend couldn't have come any sooner! Saturday morning we got up early and headed out to Burton Farms with our friends The Yohlers. It took us about an hour to get there but the drive was worth it! For miles.. all you can see was pumpkins! It was so exciting because I'm used to rinky dink pumpkin patches. This was totally awesome for us. We took a 2 and a half mile ride (in a hay wagon pulled by a tractor)up the mountain and I swear going thru the patch all you could see was a sea of these giant pumpkins! We had a great time shopping for the perfect one and the kids were super impressed. We finished our trip by having a nice picnic lunch by the creek or "crek". After we got home- it was yard work for Adam and housework for me! We wanted everything done so that we could watch Conference all day Sunday to get caught up with all we missed. Then we remembered that Adam was leaving so we had to get him packed for his flight on Sunday morning. I did watch Sundays sessions and will re watch all the other sessions when Adam returns. Maybe that can be our date each night when the kids go to bed! I'm so smart! As for our babies- they are all healthy and happy. The weather has gotten cooler and it rained again all night and most of the early afternoon today. I love it! Now- I have to dig out all the winter clothes for everyone! Lovely.... it never ends! Love and Hugs
p.s- anyone catch the movie after the last session yesterday? It was so good!

Singing In the Rain.....

2009-09-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

What a glorious feeling.... I love the rain, even though it has been non-stop. I feel really bad for the folks who have experienced the flooding of their homes and the changes that come with that. It has been bad as many of you know from watching the news so make sure that when you are in your beds in your beautiful homes that you say a quick prayer for them and offer a few words of thanks for your privileges. This past week has been a long one, it seems that all we do is go-go-go! Multiple counties closed the schools on Tues so we headed to Greensboro NC with Adam for a quick 2 day trip. It was fun and mostly relaxing for me. Friday night I did a little networking at an event in Atlanta called "Champagne and Shadows". It is hosted at a makeup studio- you go and socialize/network, and get your makeup done. I looked awesome, but didn't have a camera. I know! So NOT like me. Tomorrow is Adams 35th birthday, which I can not believe! I met and married him when he was only 20 years old, just a baby! Time sure does fly by. Yesterday marked our one year anniversary of us loading up our family and beginning a new chapter in our lives by moving here to Ga. I remember thinking as we left Utah- "what is our life going to be like and where will we be a year from now?" Well- we are happy, and healthy and have met a lot of wonderful people. The mission field is amazing out here, and I have never felt like I was a part of that until we moved here. We have an amazing connection with all the missionaries who have serviced our wards and I LOVE that my husband is finally able to be very involved with his calling. I do think of what we are missing back in Utah- but I keep those thoughts silent. Makenzie still thinks of all her cousins and friends so I encourage her to think of all the great friends she has here and how she is creating a wonderful life here. Well- I am very tired but wanted to post before I headed off the bed! Love and hugs-

14 Years and Counting...

2009-09-20T17:58:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention on my last update that on the first of this month- we celebrated our 14th year of marriage! I know-I can't believe how fast the time has passed! I wish we could do it all over again! Read on about what a wonderful guy Adam is.... so you all know that I am in school to become an esthetician... and so while Joey (cousin) was here last week I talked him into coming in for a spa treatment. Adam has already been in for a facial and he really enjoyed it, and so I had them both in for a European facial. I worked on Adam and my friend Rosemary worked on Joey. After the treatment- Joey wanted to have his back waxed and HE talked Adam into doing it as well! Now- Joey had a sweater- meaning he had a lot of hair to remove, but Adam... had none- but still wanted some of the fine blond hairs removed. We just had 3 new students start 3 weeks ago and they needed the experience- what good sports they were!!! Last Saturday we took the kids to see the house that Adam grew up in and we also did some geo-cashing. This past week was not really eventful other than last night Makenzie was in the Young Womens talent show. She did an amazing job of singing! ( The pictures above show Adam and Joey at my school, all of us Geo-Cashing- a pretty road in Bowden, a really old grave, and a slaves grave marked with a brick, and the Falcons vs Miami Dolphins game) Hope all is well-Love and Hugs-

2009-09-08T18:32:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Adam had some work to do in Charleston SC and of course we all wanted to tag along. We left late on Friday night so that the kids wouldn't have to miss any school, but didn't take into account that there would be so much traffic to get out of the city. We didn't get in to Charleston until 1am! Uggh it was so hard to want to stay awake. We stayed in a sweet hotel (Embassy Suites ) in the downtown area and it was awesome! It was the Old Citadel school from 1822 till 1921 when the school was moved into a bigger facility down a few blocks. It remains the same with a few upgrades(like private bathrooms and airconditioning) but it was set up as a fort to protect Charleston from the slaves who came over from Denmark. In that time the blacks very much outnumbered the whites. In the dining room- the original gun windows that the soldiers would put the rifles thru to shoot out are still there. It was so cool to see all the old artifacts that were found when the Citadel was being turned into the hotel. We loved it there. We went to Folly beach- not one of our favorites but the kids still had fun. The waves were REALLY rough and it was super windy on Sunday, so we only stayed maybe about 3 hours which if you know us.... you know when we go to the beach, it is ALL DAY LONG! So we packed it in, and took the kids shopping and to On The Border! Ummm, when did my Taylor become such a clothes freak? My gosh- that girl tried talking us into buying her everything her heart desired. I am immune to such cuteness but alas- her dad is not! Monday Adam really wanted to go to Patriot Point which is a Museum dedicated to our War Heroes and it is on a decommissioned war ship- The Yorktown. All I have to say is... AWESOME. I am really glad we went even though I complained (a little) I even found my Great Uncles name on the wall of "Above and Beyond the Call" wall. Then I was able to pull his name and photo up inside the Fallen Heroes museum and read his story. He died in the Korean War at the age of 24 when he sustained massive wounds while distracting the enemy so that his troop could get away. Being able to see that was worth the day and it made me feel good... I always knew about him but it was so awesome to see his name... right there with all the others. In the Aviation Memorial there was a quote that read "When you go home tomorrow, tell them of us and say- For your tomorrow we gave our Today." Killed me to watch all the videos and see all the original men who were at one time serving in active duty on this huge aircraft carrier ship because I kept thinking- they were so young... some of them just boys. I wondered- did they think one day that ship would be a museum and that so many people would look at them with awe? So I guess my message tonight would be- be grateful for the many privileges and freedoms you are able to enjoy! God Bless our Troops and the USA! Love and Hugs-

All in a Days Work

2009-08-23T16:09:00.000-07:00

Well- we are heading into the third week of school and so far... so good. I really can not believe that a year ago we were still in Utah! We still miss our home but have made the best to make Georgia our new home. We have really been blessed because we are in a great area, have already made great friends and are in a terrific ward. Today, Taylor had to give a talk about being an Eternal Family. She spent the last week working on a drawing of us on the Temple grounds. She chose to do it in chalk and it is precious. She is giving it to the primary for the Stake Conference Art Show. She did a great job on telling our story about when Adam and I were sealed which was August 26th 1998. She recounted on how when we lived in Utah she would love to go to the Temple grounds and walk around the beautiful gardens. She also told the primary kids how she would love to do Family Home Evening and go to the visitors center. I must admit that I miss that too! It was funny because she didn't fail to mention that what she didn't like about the Temple was that she couldn't go in yet, but that she knows that someday she will! Then after she bore her testimony she said she had one more thing to add and that was "Temples unite families". It was so cute. She is looking forward to the day the Atlanta Temple will re-open and she will be able to go in. She says "you can bet that I will be one of the first people in line that day!" I hope that each of you feel of Our Saviors love and that you are happy and loving life! Love and hugs.....

Finally! We are Back on Track

2009-08-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

As you can see- I got a new camera! I love it and I am SO happy that I can now post pictures of our days here in the south. For our last hurrah to close the end of the summer- we took the kids to the Atlanta Zoo. It was a lot of fun, even though it was one of the hottest days here... 104!(I know! You all out there in St.George can give me no sympathy) I don't think I have ever seen Parker so excited! He could not wait to see the kangaroos and we made sure that we saved that for last. He loved it and loved hopping around like them. We had a great time, we even became members of the zoo and can go back anytime in the next year for free! We had a great week here, as it marked the first week back to school for the kids. Parker is at a different school this year from the last school. He seems to really like it and his new teacher. Today at church one of the boys in our ward was so excited as he was telling me that he sees Parker at school now! Taylor is also in a brand new school (not the same as Parker though) and she loves it and her teacher! Makenzie came home after her first day radiant and full of smiles! She loves all her teachers and has a lot of friends in her classes. Everyone loved her new hairdo and that made her feel really good. Seriously- I could NOT have asked for a better day for her! Adam is doing well.. he spent Friday night with the missionaries knocking on doors of inactives and then Sat morning doing a service project. The South is doing some good for us and we hope to do some good for the South! Hope all is well-Love and Hugs

Last Trip of the Summer

2009-08-03T05:08:00.000-07:00

Adam had some work to do in Hendersonville NC which is about a half hour outside of Asheville so we decided to go with. Asheville is the home of the largest home in America- The Biltmore, which was built by a Vanderbilt. It was something I have wanted to see for a while because I hear it is amazing! We took the two little ones -(Makenzie stayed at home with a friend because she didn't want to miss the Beehive sleepover)and realized that when we got there.... it was $55 per person and we only had 2 hours before Adam needed to head to work! No way was I gonna pay that amount and not be able to view everything. We plan on going around Christmas time because that is when it gets decked out with lights galore. You can read all about it at Biltmore.com. The entire downtown area near the Biltmore is awesome... the Mickey D's was the NICEST one I have EVER seen!! It was gorgeous and there was even a grand piano playing while we ate. Taylor said "this is wonderful"- she is sooo like her Grandma Pam! There was an art festival down the street from our hotel so we took the kids there.... that was a joy! Not... Parker was hot and tired form walking.. so that lasted about an hour! That was fine... art festivals tend to bring out some weird,eclectic people don't you think? We went back to the hotel and had a rest while Adam worked. Of course I had to take them swimming... and get them really tired for the night. Finally at about 8 Adam was back and we headed to The Grove Park Inn. Amazing!! You need to check out the website under the same name. I wish we stayed there but I doubt Vita Mix would want the 700-900 a night bill!! I WISH I had a camera... you would NOT believe that rock work at the place... it was like a castle. It dates back to the late 1800s just like the Biltmore. Beautiful! In all our travels I am still amazed at how green and lush and beautiful the south is. After touring the place for an hour and deciding that none of the restaurants were kid friendly we left- headed to Texas Roadhouse, and finally filled our hungry bellies! It was a great weekend but.... not long enough! Adam leaves today for Maine and I am dreading it!! Hope all is well in your world.... love and hugs-

No Photos Please...

2009-07-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

I really don't have much to report... we have just had a great week. I have been called to be the CTR 7 teacher and I have a feeling that it will be a real challenge!! They are a tough crowd to keep focused... but I can do it! We just spent the weekend traveling to Greensboro North Carolina. I was really relaxing for me... not for him since he worked the whole time. We have started back to school shopping which has been a lot of fun since my little Taylor LOVES shopping for herself! Parker got new running shoes today and you would have thought he never owned a pair since he tried to sleep with them! This weekend we as Georgians get to take a break from paying sales tax on school supplies from the 31st till August 3rd! Pretty cool! I still have not replaced my camera since vacation so I have no photos to share. Hopefully I will find a good deal on one soon! Hope all is well with all- love and hugs......

Hilton Head 2009

2009-07-15T04:19:00.000-07:00

We had a great time on our vacation with our family in Hilton Head S.C. We had my in laws with us(which is always a good time) and we allowed Makenzie to bring a friend. We had a great condo with our backyard facing a pond. It was beautiful... until we realized that pond had alligators! Yes- so we were just thankful that our balcony was on the second floor because they have been known to just be on the bottom floors balconies sunning themselves. We stayed on the beach or at the pool for the most part, except one day we went into Savannah and toured the historic part. It was really interesting and so cool to see these old buildings that are still there from the 1700's. After being there for 7 days we got home on the 4th and just let off fireworks with our neighbors in the front yard. We were all too tired to head off to anything major. The next day- we headed off to Julie and Jays farm and kayaked and 4 wheeled and had a lot of fun. Monday- we kissed our Pam and Jim (Adams Parents) goodbye and THEN on Tues..... I started School! I am studying to be an esthetician.... it has been fun and really interesting. It seems that since the end of our vacation, I have been up and running. There is never enough time to do anything during the week- I knew it wouldn't be easy. It is just so weird to have the tables turned and have to really rely on Adam to be home with the kids. He has been doing a great job. He has been called to be First counselor in the Elders Quorum Presidency(not even sure that is how it is spelled cuz Im sooo soo tired) It has been such a great experience for him- especially since he had to teach this past week. He was so nervous but in the end- Im sure he did just fine. I am still waiting for a calling in our new ward- we split right before we went on vacay. The Bishop said I am next! Hmmmm- Hope all is well.... Love and Hugs-

All in A Days Work...

2009-06-21T16:15:00.000-07:00

Today is Father's Day, and while it is not MY day.... I am enjoying the peace that Sundays bring into our home. We had a GREAT lesson today on the importance of attending the Temple and on the importance of teaching your family about it. It just brought me to tears because it made me think of my Utah family, especially my Emily(sister in law) and how she recently went thru and was sealed to her husband and children. I knew that eventually we would see her and James take that step but I also knew that it would mean that we would be closer to leaving them all. I spent some time reflecting on them today and how far they have come and it really does bring me to tears. I love them all and am so grateful for the technology that we have today in being able to text and talk with them weekly and sometimes daily. The Atlanta Temple will be closing on the 1st of July and while this is sad, it is also an opportunity for us to visit the other Temples that are near by. The next 15-18 months will be a time for us to teach our children about the importance of our Family being Forever, but it will hopefully draw us closer to our friends who are not of the same faith. It excites me to know that I will be able to bring my friends and especially my children to visit the Temple once it is re-opened(before it is re-dedicated) so that they can see for themselves that being able to go to the Temple and partake of the ordinances is something that Heavenly Father wants for ALL of us! I have overloaded you on the pictures I know.... but enjoy! As you can tell we have been busy traveling and we are looking forward to this Friday- my in-laws are coming in and we are taking them to Hilton Head for a whole week! We have a condo on the beach and we plan on doing NOTHING but Surfing and Sanding!!! Love and Hugs...

It's About Time....

2009-06-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

Finally I am able to blog and let you all know how the Wallick Family is doing! We have so far survived this summer and all has been well. In the last two weeks we have been to Hilton Head Island, Columbia S.C twice and most recent- Columbia Tennessee. Hilton Head was gorgeous- the beach is so clean and we found the most amazing shells and were able to see lots of sea life in the tide pools. We tagged along with Adam on this trip, so he worked while we played! In S.C we tagged along with Adam again to hang out at the pool and just be with him. Of course it wasn't the same, but just being able to see him at the end of the night made it worth it. This past weekend, we met up with our family- my sister in law Marci in Columbia Tennessee. We had a great time camping with her and her in laws. Yes- I said Camping! I am not a camper as most of you know, but it WAS fun, and being able to see my two nieces was worth the cold night! So- guess what? Today was my 40th birthday!! I can not believe that I am that young! I got a card from my friend Amy and it said something like "hope you can do exactly what you want on your birthday" and THAT is EXACTLY what I did! My family really pampered me before church with a new book and flowers, and a smoothie-in a black cup no less! I even got sung to and then each of the kids set off a metallic confetti popper. Then I went exactly where I wanted to be.... to Church. It was awesome- seems someone announced I was a year older, so it was fun to be teased and get lots of hugs. A big thanks to Julie and Jay, Samantha, Spencer and Melanie who came all the way out here to bring cake and ice cream. It was such a nice surprise and a great way to end my day! Jeez... where does the time go? Seems like yesterday I was waiting for my life to begin and now here I am.... wishing I could turn back the hands of time ( all for vain reasons of course!) Just a quick note... still working on figuring out how to upload the video of Makenzie in her play... she was AWESOME- she ROCKED THE HOUSE- enjoy the pics of the play. Hope you are all safe and happy.... I will be blog surfing in the morning- Love and Hugs...

Im SOOO MAD!!!

2009-05-31T20:34:00.001-07:00

I had intended on working on my blog tonight.... until I couldn't do anything on my laptop! Nothing!! For some reason the security screen is not working so I am not able to navigate around deleting photos or adding new ones. I will work on that sometime this week, I am way tired so try me again in a few days. Hope all is well- love and hugs- Shannon

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

2009-05-14T18:30:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while ( sorry Barbs!) but we Wallick's have been a busy family. Monday the 4th we drove into the city to see the Braves play against the Mets. It was soo much fun- especially since we decided to not sit in our seats!(nose bleed sec)The game wasn't crowded at all- (it had rained all day but cleared up just in time for the game)so we sat in seats super close to the field. It was so fun! Makenzie got up and danced around and got on the Jumbo Tron! Later- her and I got on it together! It was a good time! Cinco De Mayo found us at Parker's school helping the class celebrate with a "build your own taco" party. Parker was so excited to see us there-it was fun to see his independence. We celebrated Taylor's 7th Birthday on May 8th. Of course her morning had us all up celebrating with a pancake breakfast before school, and a bubble party at school. Later on-we went to Marist and watched Spencer play his championship baseball game and then off to dinner. Of course Julie hooked her up and treated her like a princess! The next day was P-Day! Party express! Our very kind friend Kay set up her big bounce house, we set up a shade, and the party began! It was a fun time- those little girls can eat! We had a chocolate fountain with bananas, strawberries, and marshmallows,blueberry fizz drink, Pizza, and in lieu of a cake- ice cream cups! (Taylor is NOT a cake girl- so the take home boxes each had a cupcake) We decorated book markers with hearts and flowers and each girl made their mom a tissue flower! Hands down it was fun to watch them in the bounce house and watch the girls compete in the freeze dance. Taylor loved it and we absolutely love her! Thank you to Barb for helping with the party and especially Julie who stayed way after to do art stuff with Tay while we cleaned up! We are looking forward to this weekend because Grandma's coming! The next big thing Makenzies big stage debut! Remember this... "Charity is the True Love of Christ!" Love and Hugs- P.s- Hi Cindy- Love ya!

Dancing With Myself.....

2009-05-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

What a fun busy week we had for the last week of April! Between school work, and family time- Adam and I were able to get a lot of things done as far as him - with work and myself- with doing things around the house. We both ran in a 5k on Saturday that benefited ALS... and I am VERY excited to report that I came in ahead of him! It was a tough course, with a total of 3 hills. The first was okay- second- little harder and the last and final was a killer! Thank goodness Alex (a very seasoned runner) came back down the hill and pumped me up to make it to the top of the final hill! (He ran it in under 20- he is the owner of the running store we shop at and his store sponsored the race) Once at the top- I realized it was the final stretch... I kicked it into overdrive, and passed quite a few people on the way to the finish line. I shaved ALMOST 3 WHOLE MINUTES off my last time. I was Dancing With Myself! I came it at 30:27 and boy did it feel good! Adam was not very happy- as he set out to beat me. I set out to only beat myself, and I'm glad I did it! After our race we headed home to clean up and get Parker to his first baseball game. He is on the Miracle League team which is specifically for handicapped kids. Each player has a buddy- (high school students from baseball teams in the county) who helps with batting and catching. Parker loved it and loved that he was out there playing the game. On Monday night we are going to the Braves vs the Mets! We are so excited! After his game- Taylor and I had a date- to see The Hannah Montana Movie. It was a cute movie and it was even more cute to see Taylor and her friend singing to all the songs and dancing in their seats. All and all- it was a great busy week and it ended perfectly with Stake Conference today. (in which we had to drive 45 minutes to get to!) Remember... Every Member a Missionary! Have a great week!! Love and Hugs...

CouchKickers Unite!!

2009-04-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

So my big secret is that for the last 6 weeks I have been taking a "From the Couch to a 5K" class. The final day of class was the "Jay Cullens-Memorial-Share the Road 5K". (The photo of me with an older woman is his widow- and she is so sweet!) I have always wanted to run.. and I finally am able to really do it! I joined the class and recruited my friend Barbara. We worked hard and although I personally didn't do as good as I thought I would, I am still glad that I DID IT! We had two hills to climb.. one in the middle and one at the end. The end one about did me in, as I thought I was seriously going to go into cardiac arrest! Thank Goodness Barbara was there to say "you got this". After making it up the hill and fighting the demons in my legs which were shouting "can't go on!", I realized that I had made it!! I could see the light at the end of the tunnel, so we kicked it into overdrive! I remember Barb asking me if I was "OK" and me saying "no- let's finish"- we came in at 33:13! So we weren't the first, but we were NOT the last! I was really hoping to come in under or around 30 minutes but since this was the first time- I will just keep trying for better! It was cool to have people cheering us on- especially when I yelled "it's our first time ever!" I have met some amazing people, and I hope that we all can continue to meet up and run as a group again in upcoming events. That is the plan.. as we were all first timers and are hooked. I am looking forward to this upcoming week and the training... Adam and I are running a 5k this Saturday. All I hope to do is.... blow him out of the water! Love and Hugs....

Our Special Athlete!

2009-04-20T11:26:00.001-07:00

We had a great week, especially with our stud boy Parker. He was able to participate in the Special Olympics on Friday. It was an all day event and I gotta tell you... it was AMAZING!! The athletes were from all over Forsyth county and included students from elementary, middle, and high school. Each individual athlete was assigned a "buddy" to be with them the entire time. Parker had a cute high school senior named Jillian. She was so excited to have him again since he was also her buddy for the Valentines Dance. She was very cute with him and was so sweet. They even opened the games up with a prayer! Kinda felt like good ol Utah. The opening song was "We're all in this Together" from High School Musical. Parker danced his heart out! For the first half of the Games, half the athletes were sent to the gym to play games while the other half competed and then they switched. We followed Parker to the gym and watched him play games, and dance to hit songs. He even did a guitar solo (laying on his back of course) to the song- "Life is a Highway" from the "Cars" movie. When it was finally Parker's turn to compete he was so excited. He competed in the tennis ball throw, the soccer kick, and the fun run. He took first in the throw, and kick but second in the run. In the end, he was given the overall FIRST PLACE AWARD in his division of 6 athletes. He was so excited- especially when his named was called. I will upload video as soon as I can, but just know that it was absolutely precious! I really love living here and being able to see our kids do all these wonderful things!

Life is Good....

2009-04-14T17:22:00.000-07:00

As you can tell from the pics we had a fun Spring Break even though we really didn't go on an extended trip! To kick the official week off- we took the kids to the dentist- and I'm thankful to report we are CAVITY FREE! Tues- we headed to NC again and came back on Wed just in time to pick Aunt Andrea up from the MARTA. Thur- we took the kids fishing at the local hatchery and then when that closed we headed to Beautiful Lake Lanier for some more fishing. Fri- we drove to Bowden Ga to show the kids the home that their Grandpa and Grandma Wallick built when Adam was a boy. Andrea-my sister in law- was able to meet up with a friend she hasn't seen since the 7th grade! Friday night we made it home just in time to witness the crazy weather and were amazed at the amount of rain and hail that came upon is! Saturday was our last day with Andrea and we wanted to do something really fun- so we headed to Helen Ga and found the cutest little Bavarian-German town. It had fun shops and lots of food! We even saw some LDS missionaries who know someone from St.George! We spent the day there and made it home in time for the kids to do the egg thing and Andrea and myself spent the night making food and baking for Easter. Sunday came too fast, and we hugged Andrea goodbye! We miss her infectious laugh! After church we ran home, changed and threw food and kids in the car to head to the lake with our neighbors and friends. We had a great time, and finally were able to give the kids their Easter baskets AFTER their baths! We fell into bed exhausted and NOT ready to be up at 6 for school! It was a great break and we are looking forward to the next break- SUMMER! Love and hugs

Hoppin Around....

2009-04-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

Friday began our Spring Break here in Georgia and by 9:30 in the morning- I was dying. I had Taylor following me around "what are we doing?", "you know it is my spring break and I don't want to do chores I want to go to the beach!", "what are we gonna do?" Uggh, it went on and on. So- we looked into the weather in Florida and since that wasn't looking good we have decided to just hang out here. On Saturday we had to go back to Charlotte to get inventory for Adam. We drove there and back in one day so it was only a 6 hour turn around. Then Sunday morning we got up super early to head to Alabama to drop off the much needed Vita-Mix machines to one of Adams employees. That also should have been a 6 hour turn around but at one point we stopped at this beautiful water-fall and let the kids walk and stretch. Today is Tuesday and we are once again headed back to Charlotte so that Adam can do some work. I am also trying to prepare for the upcoming holiday. We have Adam's sister Andrea coming in tomorrow night and we are gearing up to show her the sights of the south! Love and hugs-

Blame it on the Rain!

2009-03-29T09:48:00.000-07:00

Well, as you can see, we are in North Carolina for the weekend! It has been fun, but it also has been raining on us since Thursday. I love the rain though so it has been fine. Taylor is loving it because she has an umbrella she keeps in her purse. (She is like a lil old lady with all the stuff she has in her purse but at least she is prepared!) We are all doing good- just enjoying our time here with Adam. He is working all day at the homeshow and I have been taking the kids all over the place. Kenzie and Tay wanted new flip-flops and Parker is just happy to be bribed with a soda and some popcorn! My sticthes fell out yesterday morning and afternoon and today will be my last day on anti-biotics. We will head back to Gerogia tonight and are looking forward to the coming week. Thursday is the kids last day in school till the 13th of April! Spring break- that will bring us a visit from...... Aunt Andrea!! Love and Hugs- Hey Cindy- we love you!!!

Why the Pain is Still here!

2009-03-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

Now- my friend Andi was shocked that I was still feeling the pain of a root canal. Like I said- root canal- no problem! As you can see from this x-ray- it is the infection in the gum line that hurts the most. I had to have cuts made in both front and back of my tooth so that the dentist could get down into the gum line and bone area which is where the infection settled. My stitches are also bothersome in that I can feel them up against my cheek. If I could yank them out- I would. I just hope that it all goes away and I never have to spend that kind of money again!
Continue to read below as to what happens when you leave things alone that shouldn't be left alone..

What Happens when you Procrastinate

2009-03-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of a person suffering from an untreated tooth infection. He now has a severe infection that has created the swollen face and eye. Hmmm- $2500 is not looking so bad now!

This ones for you Melissa

2009-03-25T12:24:00.000-07:00

This is why I simply did not just have to tooth removed. (Although I did tell the Dentist to pull it and I would move to Arkansas) Removing the tooth would cause other teeth to shift, leaving me looking like a gap tooth babe!

OUCH!

2009-03-24T04:40:00.000-07:00

So- I went to the dentist on Friday for what I thought might be a simple cavity. As the law of physics works in my life... turns out I needed a root canal! So that is what I had yesterday. Now- just let me start by saying, it did not hurt at all! What is awful about it is the fact that for the rest of the day, my mouth was stuffed with gauze and I had to keep swallowing the left over "stuff". Then once the numbness wore off, the pain set it. I stayed on top of it with "vicodin" but.... that made me feel super dizzy and really irritated AND it made me itch. The worst part of this?( besides the $2,500 I had to shell out!) I can't work out, run- nothing physical for the rest of the week! As my cousin Mindy Hughes would say.. "Lamesauce!". So here I am this morning, not really feeling any pain but dizzy and nauseous like something fierce! So my advice to you all.... keep up on your regular dental visits! Have a super week and love and hugs to all!

When it Rains, It Pours!!

2009-03-16T18:36:00.000-07:00

I hear that the weather in St.George is just beautiful and that shorts are back in! There is nothing more exciting than listening to all of natures birds, and bugs singing on a fresh, crisp morning. Last Monday I was in shorts and it was hot, but by Thursday we were back to the cold! It has rained all day everyday since Friday! I have to admit, I love waking up to the sound of the rain, in fact I love rain period! I just think that it is so wild how fast the weather changes here! Things are moving fast here for us- Parker got an award last week at his school for being a good role model and respecting others. It was a sight to see! He went on stage with the other 3rd graders and puffed his chest out and his arms were flared open- as if he was in a body building contest. Then they called his name- he walked out to center stage, got his medal and gave me the thumbs up! He melts my heart daily! We have not heard anything more about Taylor's art project other than now it is at a contest called- "The Natures of Art". I have never seen it, but hope to get it back from the school. As for Makenzie- she is extremely busy. She just got moved from an alto to a soprano in her choir, and she has been preparing for an all day music festival this Thursday. She is doing well in her play- she stole the show during practice today and she came home completely exhilarated! We are reading lines with her whenever she has the chance and we are so excited to see her on stage. The play is in May- so there is plenty of time for perfection. No deep thoughts or good stories to relay- just have a great week! Love and hugs-

2009-03-02T18:50:00.000-08:00

We had a great time with Grandma Pam here, and as my luck would have it- the time went by WAY to FAST! We did a lot of fun things besides enjoy one anothers company. While the kids were in school we were able to do lunch, go to a movie, go to the King Tut exhibit in Atlanta, and see Olympic Park and we even drove all the way to Bowden Georgia to see one of Adams boyhood homes! I loved hearing all of Pam and Adam's stories about their memories of family and friends. On Saturday we took the kids and headed to Tennessee to visit Ruby Falls. It was amazing! We took an elevator 26 feet underground, and then had to walk 1000 feet into a cavern that in itself was awe inspiring! Our reward was a beautiful, breath taking waterfall! It was so fun to spend all that time with Pam, and I really miss her! She left yesterday and I literally walked around in a daze. Even today- I had a hard time trying to "get up and go"! As you can imagine- it was a fantastic time!
Makenzie gave us some great news- she got a big lead in her school play! She auditioned for "Into the woods"- a play about all the fairy tale characters. She really wanted the part of either "Lil Red Riding Hood" or "Cinderella". What she got? The part of the "Witch"! She is excited about it, and we hope to find out more about it this week. She thinks she has two solo songs. One a pretty and slow one, and the other one, is a rap song. We will see! Enjoy your week, do good things, and don't forget to give thanks for all that you have! Love and Hugs-

2009-02-25T09:48:00.000-08:00

My! What Big Eyes You've Got Grandma!

2009-02-24T20:10:00.000-08:00

Yes! The day has finally arrived when our dear Grandma Pam has flown in for a visit. We set this up as a surprise to the kids and boy were they ever! Grandma came in on Saturday, and just drove herself over to the house. I asked Parker and Taylor to answer the door and Parker had to do a double take! Taylor didn't know what to do! Makenzie was in the shower, so I had Pam lie on her bed and we waited. Out comes Makenzie wrapped in her towel and it took her a second to realize who was in front of her. "Grandma!" She was so shocked! Later we had Jay and Julie over for dinner and then off to see "Oliver" with our little Orphan Makenzie. She did a great job and is looking forward to being in more plays. Yesterday she tried out for her school musical, and we should know how she did by next week. Well, we are really enjoying Pam and I really hope that this is one of those weeks that goes by Super Slow! Hope all is well in your world- Love and Hugs-

Happy Days- Happy Week!

2009-02-15T18:40:00.001-08:00

So- I had a busy week, but one filled with much fun! Monday found me back on the tennis courts with a group of women from the neighborhood. I have really missed playing the game, so it was great to be out there. Wednesday, I had lunch with some gals from my ward. Since we were all on diets, we had to take something healthy. I was SO LAME because all I had time to make/take was yogurts. I know- I had planned on a nice salad, but I couldn't muster the energy. ( Must be the double workouts ) Thursday found me at a Valentine's Luncheon with the ladies in my neighborhood. It was all Delores's idea ( she is a true Southern Belle, complete with the accent! I love to hear her talk- think Poo for Pool ) She is the hostess with the mostest, and it was neat to meet three new people aside from our usual group. Friday crept up on me fast! I chaperoned the Honors Choir practice from 9-2, then rushed home to get Tay and Parker off their buses. Later, at 6 we rushed to go hear the final product of their hard work. They sounded so amazing! In between this time I had to rush to get Adam from the Marta- he had flown to Florida. He really wanted to be there for Makenzie, and I know she realizes how lucky she is to have such a caring dad. Saturday was the BIG DAY! Makenzie turned 12! She had a big party at the Mellow Mushroom Pizza Parlor, and invited 13 of her BFF's. They were loud, rowdy and lots of fun to watch and listen to! Later- after the party, Taylor had YET ANOTHER party to go to! This one was for her friend Nicola who lives here in our neighborhood. Taylor says "she is MY BFF!" So we raced home to grab swimsuits and head out.(Makenzie headed to her friend Delaney's cuz she is too cool to hang with us!) This party was one that Parker was invited to as well, and I just have to say- he really did enjoy himself. It was so fun to hear him going down the slide- "ooooooh ooooohh whoooooooo"! It was an overall wonderful time. Thanks again Barbara! Now here I sit on Sunday night thinking that although this was a great fun filled week- it went by WAY to FAST! Hope you are well and happy- Love and Hugs

2009-02-08T19:49:00.000-08:00

Well life here in the South has been great this past week! Our kids are healthy and happy and so there is really not much to report- you can get caught up with them on the sidebar. We do have a busy week ahead of us, and I am looking forward to it all. On Valentines Day, Makenzie Louise will be 12! She is excited to be "kidnapped" into Young Women's and she is excited to be out of Primary! We are excited because now she will be able to Baptisms for the dead with either Adam or myself.
Adam and I have decided that we are going to follow Dave Ramsey's book, "The Total Money Makeover", and start securing a better financial future for ourselves and for our kids. The other night while reading Scripture, I came across this from Alma 32:14 and it reads- "And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word?"
We are so thankful for all that we have, and yet it seems that we are always trying to have more. Make sense? We are now on our quest for financial freedom- freedom from payments and freedom from credit cards! If you are interested in this book, you can go to DaveRamsey.com! We hope that this week will find all of you healthy and especially happy for all that you have! Have a wonderful week and a LOVE filled Valentines Day! Love and Hugs-

Y'all Ready For This?

2009-02-01T15:27:00.000-08:00

Yes! It is that time of the year when our men become a shrill screaming, finger pointing, ref yelling, couch loving football fan! This year the Steelers (my little brothers team ) will go against the Arizona Cardinals. While I myself am usually not a HUGE football fan- I am excited to watch this year as I AM a former Az Girl! We are all sitting around watching as a family and it is pretty exciting. We got Pizza yesterday and put those in the oven right after church. We will have to see what the out come will be but.. GO CARDINALS! Speaking of church, I had the opportunity to meet with our Stake President today. It was a fluke thing but you see my recommend expired yesterday- and I mentioned that to a member of our bishopric. He was more than happy to interview me and let me know that the Stake President was in the building. I was so nervous to even ask him for his time because he had his coat on and was heading out the door. When he turned around and flashed me the kindest smile, I knew that he was willing to help. I am so excited because out here, recommends are done on Thursdays at 9pm at the Stake Center! I really wanted to be able to go to the Temple Thursday morning with our Relief Society and Adam. President Wood really was sweet and he really took the time to talk with me and get to know me a little bit. At the end of our interview he closed with a prayer and I am so thankful for the things he said and for the peace it brings to my heart. I wish all of you a wonderful week and give your self a hug from me to you!
P.S- Dang it! The Cardinals just lost!

Just Another Manic Monday

2009-01-25T19:57:00.000-08:00

This past week was pretty much a blur- it all went so fast! All I know is- it is Sunday night and I am already dreading having to wake up early and rush to get the kids out the door. On the plus side- every one here is healthy and happy! We got report cards and Makenzie is still rockin with the A's although she got a B in a class so she is no longer considered an "Honors" student. Taylor is caught up with her class and received all high marks. It has been hard for her but she is just so excited that all her effort has made a big difference. I took her to the roller rink for a party on Saturday and she had a blast! It was so cute to see all her friends skate up to her and hold her hands and teach her how to skate. Of course- I left the camera at home but it was so fun to see how many friends she has made and how cute these little first graders are! Parker had an exciting week at school- his class made a grocery store with items donated by Kroger. They invited other classrooms to come in and shop. Parker was the "diary man" and also took "money" from the students. His teachers said he LOVED every minute of it and was so excited. Adam kept busy with work- as usual. Myself? Well I FINALLY made it through week 4 of P90X! I feel great! I am looking forward to this week, if I can make it through the "Manic Monday"! Hope you all are having a Great Week- Love and Hugs!
P.S- the above pictures were taken before church because Parker was being such a goof ball and striking poses. He ran and got the camera and so then the girls had to have their pictures too!

2009-01-20T07:54:00.000-08:00

This weekend we went driving around the Carolinas and we got to see all these beautiful historical Plantations and lots of lush acerage of trees and streams. It sparked me to think about all the slaves who spent their lives in captivity. I wonder if I had a time machine that I could travel back in time with- would anyone believe me that in a little over a hundred years we would have an African-American President! Wow! I am excited about the new future for our country and for the changes that will come with the new President, Barack Obama. How exciting for us as a whole country to witness this event! Today is the day that he will become The President of The United States of America! I am sitting here watching and I can not help but to be filled with emotions. This truly is HISTORY IN THE MAKING!
Even if he wasn't the person YOU voted for, may we all take advice from Elder Joesph B.Wirthlin from the October General Conference; "Come What May and Love It"!
P.S- On a side note I am in week 4 of the P90x and Whew- it is hard but Im loving it!

What's Happening?

2009-01-11T16:51:00.000-08:00

Well folks, I can tell you all that the Wallick Family had a slow week. Our kids went back to school and Adam and I have gotten back into the swing of getting up early and getting everyone off to the buses on a timely manner. We did go to the Temple on Friday and I can tell you that I am glad we opted to go in the morning versus going with our ward members later. The Atlanta Temple is not as big as the one we are used to back in Utah so our 10am session was full at approximately 50 people. Later that night was our ward Temple night and we had members there till PAST midnight! Yup! EVERY session that day was full! (The Temple is now closed for 2 weeks for cleaning) I did have a wonderful experience in talking with the Officiator and his wife, the Matron after our session. They were about to end their mission on Saturday and return home to.... St.George Utah! It was so fun to hear from them how much they have loved this area! They were so sweet and they should be home by Wednesday. They plan on returning to the St.George Temple so if you see them- say hi. I don't think I can remember how to spell their last name but it was Alpbanapy or something close! We had a primary breakfast on Saturday which was a lot fun for me- Adam got called as a CTR 7 teacher- so he is now one of Taylor's' teacher! He is so cute with his class and I can tell he will really enjoy his time in Primary. As for myself I am now the Youth Sunday School teacher for the 13-14 year olds. Today was my first time in the class and I LOVED it!
We are both grateful to be serving in the Lord's True Church, and we look forward to the opportunity to continue to meet and get to know the members of our ward.
Tonight while reading Scriptures with our children we came across this verse from Mosiah 24. It is verse 14 which reads- And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders,that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.
For many of us, the economy is still a worry in our minds- for me, the Scriptures often bring me the peace I need to have my fears calmed.
I am grateful for all your letters and emails, and support!
Love and Hugs-

ICE ICE BABY!

2009-01-03T16:57:00.000-08:00

Last night we went into the city and took the kids, along with three of Makenzie's friends to the outdoor ice skating rink! It was so MUCH fun and I was really impressed that even Parker himself had a wonderful time! Adam would take him around, and then drop him off to me and he would then take Taylor. I held Parker under his armpits while trying to keep my balance. It was so funny because he would shuffle his feet as fast as he could and he got so excited because he thought he was skating on his own! We hardly saw Makenzie because she was with her three friends. That worked out well because then Adam and I could trade off the two little ones and not worry about Makenzie feeling left out. By the end of the night Taylor finally had let go of the wall and was really making an effort to skate. Of course, Adam is good at everything so he was skating around like a hockey player! Me, myself, I haven't had a pair of ice skates on in about 30 years, but I didn't fall once! It was a fun night- it wasn't very cold, and every one had a blast! After skating for almost 2 hours, we took a walk thru the park, and then ended the night by taking everyone to T-bell! Love and Hugs-

What Comes Up, MUST Come Down!

2009-01-01T07:58:00.000-08:00

So four days ago, after working out, I decided to go ahead and weigh myself. Let's just say- it did not go well. I am 8 LBS larger than I was back in August. Well that motivated me to take down the outside lights. As luck would have it, my sweet Adam joined me and in no time- we were done. Well that led us to look at our garage! What a mess! Adam said "it's so nice outside we might as well tackle the garage now." Wow! I was so excited because I have been wanting to organize it for so long! This part of our day took a lot of our energy because we took everything out and condensed boxes, threw stuff out- you know the drill. After congratulating ourselves on a job well done, we took our energy INTO the house and took down and packed up everything Christmas, and were able to fit it all back in nicely into our newly clean garage! We moved furniture around, dusted,vacuumed, and FINALLY we were done!
It is a good feeling to start the year 2009 off with a clean garage, and a clean home! That night since it was New Years Eve we kicked the New Years off early with some firework fun with a few of our neighbors. The last picture is a few of our neighbors. They are all from South Africa so it is neat to try to learn their language of African. I would like to point out that is was FREEZING COLD!! The best part was handing Parker a sparkler and watching him running around the yard screaming! We can't find our cord to our video camera to upload, but trust me, if you know Parker- it was HYSTERICAL!
HAPPY 2009! Love and Hugs- and YES I AM TOTALLY DISGUSTED WITH MYSELF ON THE WEIGHT ISSUE- WHICH IS WHY THE TITLE OF THIS POST IS WHAT IT IS! I WILL BE BACK BLOGGING MY WEIGHT EVERY WEEK SO STAY TUNED! If you want to join my crusade of losing the LBS then let me KNOW!

Christmas Day

2008-12-30T20:53:00.001-08:00

It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year....

2008-12-21T13:59:00.000-08:00

Finally I can say that the Wallick Family is up and running! We have had a busy last week of school before the break... with the Winter Concert and class parties life here was crazy.. throw in Adam with the flu from Monday night to Friday and Makenzie with Strep throat from Tuesday till Friday... it was MADNESS! In between being a nurse to "Man Baby"(so true!) and to Makenzie, I had to squeeze in a lunch date and a neighborhood "bus buddies" Christmas party. It was a fun but exhausting week and I still haven't fully caught up on the regular chores. Yesterday, Adam and I celebrated our Christmas early. We went to the "Chinese New Year Spectacular" in Atlanta. The costumes were amazing as was the performances. You can check it out at www.DivineArts.org.
We are on the final countdown to Christmas and the celebration of our Saviors birth. With that being said, remember true love of Christ is Charity! The Relief Society Motto is- "Charity never Faileth". If you feel impressed to say something uplifting or do something uplifting to someone you know or even don't know- listen to that "still small voice" and as President Hinckley used to say "Just do it!" Have a Wonderful Christmas! With Much Love and Hugs-

2008-12-09T06:38:00.000-08:00

Turn Out the Lights Sweet Darlings!

2008-12-09T05:10:00.000-08:00

Cause tonight it's all the way! Yes- that's right- the lights are finally up and the trees are trimmed! I must admit that it has been really hard for me to get in the mood for this holiday season. Last night helped lift my spirits because for FHE we read a talk from the Nov "Ensign" by Elder Marcos Al Aidukaitis titled "Because My Father Read the Book of Mormon". We have really been faithful in reading our scriptures nightly as a family and are on our third time this year. I can honestly say that it is something I look forward to each night, because it is the one moment in our day where I can feel the loving calmness as we sit together. Of course there are times when I am exhausted but our kids keep us on track, especially Parker! He will not go to sleep with out us reading our Scriptures. (maybe it's because we read in his room!) It was last night that I thought- "snap out of it-get busy- and be of good cheer!" My little ones are so excited about Christmas and all of the reasons why we celebrate. It is time that I get in the mood too! Tonight we will kick off our annual "Dancing by the Tree". Each night- one kid will pick a song from our collections of Christmas tunes, and we all sing and dance by the tree. It is one of their favorite traditions and most nights, we end up dancing to more than one! Hope you are all feeling the magic in the air! Love and Hugs

Much to Be Thankful For.....

2008-11-27T05:53:00.000-08:00

In these times of economic hardships and the feelings of no job security- I thought I would take this time to express my thankfulness to our loving Heavenly Father. I am so thankful that we have a roof over our heads, that we have food on the table, that we have loving family and friends and that we have the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. Recently when meeting with a member of our Bishopric, I was truly amazed at this brothers attitude. You see, he had just been laid off at his law firm- as did 9 other lawyers. A lawyer! Something I never thought could happen, and yet here he was testifying to us at how he has faith that things will be fine! I was so impressed and thought- wow! Could I be so sure?
"Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him." D&C 7:12
So remember to give thanks for all that you are privileged to enjoy. I wish you all the Happiest of Thanksgivings and the best of times with your families.

Parkers Big Day!

2008-11-24T06:18:00.000-08:00

Our family tradition is to have a pancake breakfast in the shape of the age the birthday child has turned. We really had to move fast since we were also trying to get ready for 9 a.m church. This is something our kids really look forward to. Our records got read in at church and when they called Parkers name he stood up and waved like he was a politician running for office. The ward got a laugh out of that! He was also recognized in Primary which Makenzie said he really liked. His Larson cousins sang to him which he said "sweet" to and he was excited when grandma Pam finally got a hold of him but he was to busy watching Wall-e that he really wouldn't talk. ( he had called to thank her for his present and had gotten her voicemail AFTER he had gotten the vm of Aunt Emily and Aunt Marci so by the time he got grandmas he was really mad!) Later on we went to Julies and wow! She had decorated her dining room table with ballons, m&ms, bubbles, lil cars, gummy worms, jelly bellies, umbrellas for the drinks, crazy straws and of course party hats for all. He really thought that was cool. Everyone was a good sport and wore the hats, even Julies grandpa! We all ate a tasty hamburger dinner, with all the sides and fixins, and FINALLY it was time for cake and ice cream! Thanks Julie for doing so much for our sweet lil boy- he loves you and your family! All in all he had a good birthday and of course we wish everyone could have been here!

Happy Happy Birthday!

2008-11-22T20:23:00.000-08:00

Nine years ago, on November 23rd I gave birth to this sweet, wonderful little boy. Life was so good because we had him- a son. We didn't care that he had Downs Syndrome. We only cared how other people would treat him. To us he was perfect, and we wanted to give him the best life possible. Since that time, he has really shown our family what the meaning of life really is. He always wakes up with a smile, he knows how to make us laugh, and we couldn't imagine our family with-out his radiance! Check out his favorite music of the moment. He loves "Hairspray" since his sisters tormented him by watching it a lot on our trip down here. I have never heard "I'm Yours" but he really liked it when we were on my sister in laws blog. I had to play it over and over while he played air guitar. That explains his fascination with "We will Rock You", it has a great guitar solo.
I hope you are all well, and life is good for you!

Not For the Sensitive

2008-11-22T19:05:00.000-08:00

If you have NOT seen the "Twilight" movie but plan to- do not read the following because I'm about to give my personal opinion.
The night started off pretty good- a girl from my ward organized a small group of women to go to dinner and then to the movie. My sweet husband, not wanting to forfeit our Friday night date decided to join us. So off to the Red Robin we went. It seemed that everyone in the restaurant was heading over to the movie after dinner (okay- so they were a BUNCH of teeny boppers but...) After our nice dinner and conversations we headed over to the theatre to stand in line for over and hour. Simple enough, we were all having a good time talking and laughing AND we were pretty much in the front of the line. So, now it's time to head into the theatre and two girls from our group LITERALLY RUN and SCREAM- which was funny until all the people behind us started to do the SAME THING! (kinda reminded me of Black Friday)
I am laughing so hard that I can't walk- Adams face in the midst of all this was-- priceless! So- we find our group just in time for me to witness one of the girls hurdle over a chair to quickly sit in the row she wanted us to sit in. She actually took a 12 year old girl with her, which made us laugh even more. You could feel the excitement in the air UNTIL about 5 minutes into the movie! Yeah- you read it right. Not only would I NOT pay 10 bucks to see this movie again, I am gonna recommend that if you LOVED the book- DON'T go see the movie. There were certain times through out the movie that we all felt like we were at a comedy club. I am certain that we, the audience should not have been laughing. The acting was terrible, the cinematography was horrible and the music reminded me of a really bad 70's late night movie! There I said it, but YOU be the judge.

NO TRICKS ALL TREATS!

2008-11-02T18:29:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween, and it all went too fast! Adam and I hosted a fun party for Parkers class, and then rushed home to have Julie and Jay ( our local cousins- who by the way, are AWESOME!) come over, followed by pumpkin carving, and getting Makenzie into her costume and out the door for a birthday party! Then we took the two younger ones out to dinner and FINALLY they were able to "trick or treat". Taylor was soo excited and could not walk to contain her excitement. I guess door to door was WAY more exciting than car to car! That ended with a firepit/movie in the cul-de-sac. We couldn't stay long because Adam had to rush to get his family from the MARTA. Yes- I said "the family"! It was the BIGGEST treat we could have gotten, and it was so amazing and unbelievable. They had gone to Mexico and while in Mexico City some computer problem forced the plane to leave late, causing them to miss their connecting flight here in ATL! It was fine with us! So we were able to spend some time with them, even if 6 of those hours were spent sleeping. Of course saying good-bye again was just as hard for us the second time, especially Makenzie. She cried her eyes out for a long while, and it was very sad. It really makes me reflect back in sadness, and really regret all the times I took them for granted. You know that saying- "you never really know what you had, until its gone"? Well, its true! I urge you to really appreciate your loved ones if you are lucky enough to be near them! Spend some time with them and make sure they know that you love and care for them. Living so far from the ones we love really is hard- harder than I ever thought. I am grateful to our loving Heavenly Father who has placed us in an area where we feel a big part of our neighborhood, and where we are surrounded by great,caring and loving people.

Much love and hugs- hope you all are well.

CUZ THIS IS THRILLER- THRILLER NIGHT AND NO ONES GONNA SAVE YOU FROM THE BEASTS ABOUT TO STRIKE!

2008-10-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

AAAARRRGGGHHH! My girls back home- having fun without me! Andi, Tuesdee and Donna- at Gabs 10th B-day party- Nice- they tied kids up and took their props! I miss em like crazy but life here is good! I can't complain- I'm just glad that we are all happy, safe, and together! Hope the same for all you!

Oh yeah and don't have too much fun without me- I know it will be sad since we have spent the last 11 years together but make sure you have a moment of silence for me!

CC 2nd Ward Please Read

2008-10-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

This goes out to my ward family back home- would someone please take a "trick or trunk" invite to the renters in my house? Remember- they are totally inactive, the wife wants to get back into the church, and they have two girls, one boy. This would be the perfect way to show your sweet missionary skills. (you know, besides your numb- chuck skills, and your computer hacking skills!) Thanks!

NO REST FOR THE WALLICKS!

2008-10-26T21:51:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Saturday and Sunday, but very exhausting! We have had Adams cousin Joey here from Texas since Wednesday, and so we HAD to make sure that he got to do the TWO things he really wanted to. Saturday we took the MARTA ( like a subway) into the downtown area to go to the aquarium. That was fun because Julie- our fun loving cousin met up with us, and while we were eating at Johnny Rockets in the downtown area, our neighbors from across the street walk in! We actually knew someone! It was funny! So as you can see from the pictures it was really cool- we even visited the Titanic exhibit. I was a first class passenger ( of course!) AND I survived! That was neat. Yesterday at church we had a good time and everyone was really nice. We found out that we missed the "trunk or treat" so that was a bummer but what can you do? After lunch we went to Stone Mountain. If you don't know what that is about, google it because I'm too tired to go on. Just wanted to share some fun pictures and I will post again soon!

WHAT TIME IS IT?

2008-10-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

Yup- it's Wildcat Time! So we took the kids and a bunch of us from the neighborhood went to see the movie. It was cute, great dance numbers, very colorful and imaginative, but lots and lots of duets between "Troy" and "Gabriella". From a mothers point of view, I thought it was worth the 7.50 per kid- 8. per adult and the $16 bag of popcorn and two soda price tag. (No- Adam did not go- he was working ) It's just too bad that Disney needed to cash in on releasing this movie in the theater because it would have definitely been okay to just show it on t.v. Oh well, we are suckers for good entertainment for our kids, so we will pay it- right?

After the movie ended- Parker got up and ran to the front of the theatre with Taylor following right behind him. It was fun to watch him sing and dance with Taylor- but then somehow Parker ended up dancing with some other little girl and it was soo cute. Her siblings were clapping and the moms were all saying "aawww". Cute and fun for all- so go see it if you must!

I would post pictures but my camera is out of batteries sooooo........ next time!

Hope all is well-

That's Life in the BIG CITY

2008-10-22T17:15:00.000-07:00

So we have had a very interesting weekend/week. I know- it's only Wednesday but...
This past Sunday was supposed to be our first time at church but it WASN'T. Taylor woke up with the vomits at 2:45a.m. Yeah I know- Lame, I mean - poor baby! Then it escalated to a high fever- which made it worse because of the tossing and turning and the pure heat radiating off her little body. She spent the good portion of the day sick, with the heaving and the aches.
Now it's Monday and I am overtaken by ANTS! Fire Ants to say the least. They are in my pantry, my laundry room and by my front door. I mean, it was enough to give me the hebbie jibbies. LOTS of ants, so I sucked them up with the vacuum and Adam killed them with some spray- GROSS. Now it's Wednesday and MY throat has been aching! I am happy to report that Taylor went to school yesterday, Bulwark pest control annihilated the ant problem and hey- IF I do get sick- NO BIG DEAL!!! Just wanted to make sure you all are good and hope all is well.

I FEEL LIKE DANCING WOO- DANCING

2008-10-16T06:07:00.000-07:00

So- I'm feeling pretty good- house is clean, I'm dressed with full hair and make up and guess what people? Most of you are not even up yet! That's right! It's 9 am here so it's 7 there and ....
so there!
It's not too bad once you get going but... seriously! We are in the swing of things here, all the kids are now bus riders- which is nice since all 3 go to different schools! Tays' bus comes at 6:40, Parkers next at 7:05 and then Kenz at 8:25. Parker got kicked out after his first week. Well, not that bad but.. the school he started at doesn't have a special education program but they wanted to see how he would do, even though WE knew it would not last. He was miserable because he is not used to the rigors of "normal" class work. So the lady at the school who deals with kids with special needs asked us if she could meet with us and have a committee set up so that we could talk about Parkers needs. WOW!! We showed up and so did 8 other people including the principals from Vickery Creek (first) and Sawnee ( current). We were really impressed and they really seemed to have Parkers needs first on their list. They were not impressed with the services provided to him in Utah ( sorry) but back home Parker got 20 min a week of speech because the district shares Speech Therapists. His school here has 6- ya you heard me-6 full time on site speech therapists! We are excited to see how he grows and hope that his speech will come. He is really liking his new school and class and I'm sure within no time- he will once again be the B.M.O.C.( Big Man On Campus)
The girls are happy- making lots of friends, and really seeming to flourish in their schools. Kenzie has jumped right in and has been doing better with the whole move. Jetta has made some doggie friends of her own, and Adam and I are happy that we are all here together, and that he is working.
I don't know about you all, but this whole economy mess really scares me! I pray that each of you will feel Heavenly Fathers love, that each of you will continue to be blessed and that you will have the strength to get through whatever may come your way. Love and hugs- Shannon
By the way- hope the new tunes get you in a dancing mood!

Georgia- We ARE HERE!

2008-10-06T20:08:00.000-07:00

Well my dears- we are here! We are 100% unpacked and the kids will have their first day of
school tomorrow! We had to jump through some MAJOR hoops to get this to happen! Here in
Georgia the kids have to have their second chicken pox shot and a flu shot, hearing exam,
dental exam and a vision check before they could start- so when I say we had to jump some
hoops- Im not kidding. Then today we had to meet with counselors to determine classrooms
and schedules. Blah Blah Blah! Listen to the most obscene part- Parker and Taylor have to be
at the bus stop at 6:40! Gross! That is a.m. people! :K-5th goes from 7:40 to 2:20. Kenz goes
from 9-4:15 and will get off the bus at around 4:45- just in time for dinner and homework!
What a nightmare but what can you do?
Enough about me and us- just wanted to say a special "THANK YOU" to The Gustaveson
Family for hosting a farewell dessert get together, "THANKS" to all our fabulous friends who
stopped in to say good-bye, 'THANKS" to the Schoffs for having us over for dinner the night
our furniture was on its way here, and 'THANKS TO ALL OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY" for
the love and tears. I truly miss my life in St.George but the neighbors here have rolled out the
"welcome wagon" and have just been wonderful. We have had dinner brought to our front
door- and our nieghbors across the street have introduced Makenzie and Taylor to all the girls
their ages in the area. Its been nice. Like I said- there is NO place like home but ......

I am thankful that we are here as a family, I am thankful beyond words that my husband is
able to have a job in this crazy economy, I am so thankful that we have a renter in our home,
and I am so thankful for the internet because we were able to watch General Conference! I
know that all the blessings in my life have been because of our Loving Father in Heaven, and I
am grateful to have such amazing friends like you all back home. I love and miss each of you
and please keep an eye on my house.

DONT STEP ON MY BLUE SUEDE SHOES

2008-09-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

That's right people- we are in Memphis! We have actually had a really good time in our travels. The kids have all been good and so has the dog. The country is beautiful- as soon as we entered Oklahoma and even in Arkansas we saw lots of flats prairie lands, barns, white cows, and lots and lots of crosses, and lots of "Jesus" stuff- like "Jesus Saves" and the " infant Jesus of Prague seminole" whatever that was. We are in the bible belt for sure. Everyone has been nice and the kids are having a good time seeing all the different things each state has to offer.
As for me- I have my silent tears moments because I just cant grip the fact that I'm not in "Kansas" anymore. Dorothy was right when she said "there's no place like home."
I miss St.George like crazy but I have to be a big girl, "cuz big girls don't cry." We are heading over to see Graceland today so I need to get my butt off the couch and head to the shower.
Even though I don't blog each of you personally- don't think I don't think about you all

IM LEAVING... ON THAT MIDNIGHT TRAIN TO GEORGIA

2008-09-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

Yes- we have officially left St.George and boy was it hard! We left Fri night and drove to Flagstaff Az. Yesterday morning we woke up with a phone call from my brother saying he was in Flagstaff for a soccer game, so we spent a little time with him and his cute family before we headed to Albaqurque New Mexiceo. It's pretty here, and the hotels we have been staying in have been pretty amazing. I took some sweet pics of the kids in the lobby this morning but for some reason, they are not down loading fast enough and we are in a hurry to get out of here. Today is our long drive- Oklahoma City. We want to get there in enough time so that I can watch- Desp House Wifes. I doubt we will make it since its already 11 but we will try. Just wanted you to know how we are and where we are. Post you all soon- Love and hugs too.

Bustin A Move!

2008-09-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

OMGosh!! Have we been bustin our tails over here! Seriously- I feel like I have been doing some serious manual labor over here! The time is getting closer to us having to move- and I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for ALL the OFFERS of HELP and ALL the MEALS that were offered! I couldn't except the help because I needed to go through stuff and figure out what goes where and if they were even wanted, and I didn't want the meals because we are trying to eat what we can so that all the frozen stuff and what not doesnt go to waste. At any rate- THANK YOU- THANK YOU- THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHO HAVE TRIED TO HELP! I love you all and trust me when I say- you will be missed! Blog you all LATER

IT'S THE WAITING GAME- STILL!!!!

2008-09-14T15:12:00.000-07:00

Yes- we are STILL waiting to hear when we are moving! The military has not given us a written contract yet, although they have given us a verbal agreement. We did go Altanta this past weekend to look at the area and homes. The house pictured is the one we chose to rent in the suburbs of the ATL. It is 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms - so there will still be plenty of room for all of us to fit into to. It is a brand new home, which really makes me happy because everyhouse we looked at that was nice on the outside was horrible on the inside!

I am so not looking forward to moving and having to deal with all the packing and unpacking! I promised myself that I would be really strong and really supportive when Adam got this job, so please dont make me get all emotional, just give me hugs and tell me we will see eachother soon.

Does this make sense? I just love living here and being around all of you and to think of moving so far is just so sad! So, lets all agree to say "God be with you till we meet again."-( One of my favorite hyms.)

COME ON ALREADY!!!!

2008-09-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry to report at this time- we still have not heard weather or not the rental will go through. Part of me doesn't really want to rent out my house for fear of my house being trashed. Nobody cares and loves your home more than you do right? Now, the other half of me is just thinking "come on already, let's get the show on the road." We know we have to move, we accept that fact but... in the last 17 months of trying we have experienced a lot of emotions. We were first excited, then optimistic, then defeated, then comfortable, then drained, then hopeful and now it is almost like a desperate feeling. We need to be in the region that Adam is regional manager over soon. Although an ultimatum has not been giving yet- we both feel that Vita-mix has been so patient with us, that they are going to not put up with it for very much longer. Make sense? So this morning we had some Re-max realtors come through and hopefully they will find us a buyer. I would much rather sell then rent.
Also on the downside of us thinking we had a renter, I had to withdraw from classes at Dixie which was a sad day for me. Taylor said "mom, your a college drop-out huh?". Not what you wanna hear from your 6 year old but what can you do? Once again, Wallick life is on hold!

OH THE IRONY!!!

2008-08-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

So- we have had a strange week! On Friday- I came home to find a car sitting outside our house, and I got a feeling that they wanted to look at our house even though they drove away.
I came in and finished cleaning and sure enough later that day- our realtor called and said someone was interested.
Here is the catch- it is the gov'ment and they want to pay us to rent the house out to one of their military Navy recruiters. He seemed to be nice, ex-member of the church so I was able to do a little missionary work and I feel really good about him and his family being here.
Do I really want to move? No! especially since we would have to be out in 2 weeks! The irony is the fact that I had a purpose in my life! Going to school, Parker finally in May coming off a waiting list that he has been on since he was 2 weeks old in order to get services thru the state! He has a buddy that comes 3 times a week for two hours and teaches him sign language, and school study skills and just be his buddy. Now everything could change! Not sure if Im so happy about it but is this the answer that Heavenly Father is giving us? Of all the homes to choose from- why ours? We will let you know!

Back to School

2008-08-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

It is that time of the year again and I am so torn! I LOVE having my kids home this summer because we had a terrific time but at the same time, now that they are all in school I can get a lot more done around the house! Okay- so theoretically, I should be doing a lot more but taking it slow for one week has been nice! Tonight I went to the Temple to be with my sister in law Emily. Her and her husband took out thier endowments today. I sure did need to go as I have been so restless about my life. Drum roll please...........................................

I have enrolled at Dixie State!!! Thats right- its back to school for me too!

We will have to see how it goes- I have registered for 13 credits. Not sure how that is going to work with being a mom, and Adam going out of town.

Go Rebels! (these are pics of the kids first day of school- after Makenzie went to her first day of 6th grade we took her and her friends out to celebrate at DQ)

Party like a Vamp!

2008-08-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

So as you can see, we were quite a group and the envy of all with our cool shirts! This is our "Charlie" and he was more that happy to pose with the likes of us! The excitement was in the air- that was for sure! So now- I am ALMOST done with the book and I gotta say- I called the imprinting thing with Jacob!!! If you did too, before you read on let me know! Gotta go finish cleaning so that I can get on with the final few chapters!

Worth the Wait?

2008-08-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Fo Shizzle! What a fun night! We started off at Barnes and I gotta be honest- it wasn't that great! My feet are sore from walking around doing the "hunt" and it was hot, and there were people EVERYWHERE! We did get our picture taken with a security guy who we were calling "Charlie"- that was pretty funny. Some guy who was an "Edward" wannabe posed with us for a picture too and was he weird! After we spent all that time finding the questions to answer (40) and then answering them my friends decided they wanted to leave to go to LP.- We get there, and the party is pretty much over. So I decided to leave and head to Wal-mart and honesty that was way fun! Who knew?

While in line I met the cutest girls and we had fun chattin away, AND the best part is Wal-mart had prizes for us all! I got a trailer dvd, a button, and a sticker sheet. Everywhere in the store was so pumped and so excited! Even better was the price (13.68) and the fact that you didnt have to pre-buy ( LP was selling them for 22!) and you didn't have to have a bracelet and pay 25 to join the book club just to get your book for 16( Barnes).My friend Shelly ened up joining me there and so thankfully the night ended good.

By the way- like my shirt? Not sure if you can see it that good but when my friend Andi gets a sec she will send me a group shot of us and then you can see the shirts better.

Looking forward to doing nothing but reading! Enjoy and good-night

More Vacation Pics

2008-07-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to get this page up since I scrapped it a while ago. I will be posting again soon so till then take care and thanks for stopping by.

IM GOIN' BACK TO CALI-CALI- CALI....

2008-07-27T18:23:00.000-07:00

So as you can see, we had a great time at our summer beach vacation. This year Adams parents joined us and so did my niece Isabel and nephew Trevor. My parents also decided to join us which was a nice surprise! They all got there on Saturday which gave me and Adam time to have our kids to ourselves. Each one of our kids boogie boarded pretty much the WHOLE day. Makenzie always goes off and makes friends and stays in the water catching the waves. Shes really good at it too. Parker and Taylor mark this as the first year they actually got in past the shallows. (we usually pull them on the boards in the very shallow area) They had a blast- and as luck would have it, the camera got left at the hotel. Oh well! Adam and I trade off on who gets to go in with Kenze, but this year I took my "Twilight" book so I was okay to stay under our big shade tent and devour the book... again... for the third time!

The rest of the time the two younger ones went about the normal part of just hanging in the shallow areas on the boards and digging in the sand. Everyday we were lucky enough to have front row parking- if you have ever been there, you would understand the nightmare of finding good parking! When the Wallicks go the beach- it is ALL DAY LONG! I hate leaving, Newport is one of my favorite spots to vacation and we have done it every summer since 1998.

We did Downtown Disney and enjoyed our families. The fireworks and the excitement of the music is always fun for the kids, especially Taylor who is still in love with "Build A Bear". "Bubba Gumps" is a GREAT place to eat if you ever see one- you have to try it! ( I should get paid for all the advertising I do on my blog huh?)

We had a blast, don't want to bore you, just wanted to share some pictures with you all!

UNDER CONSTRUCTION!!!!

2008-07-26T23:34:00.000-07:00

So please have some paitience with me- I have been busy and more busy than I thought would be possible! No excuse since most of you diehards have been on top of yours while still maintaining your daily lifes but with us going on vacation and then coming home to find out a week later- Kenz would be gettin her gal bladder out to showing our house- I have had no time!
Now listen- all you blogstalkers who admit that you have been on my blog and have read every single entry- let me know so I can check yours out!
Pioneer Day was fun but it sure did get me thinking of all the faithful people who left so many things behind to come to Zion. I could not imagine having to wear long dresses while fighting off bugs, dirt, lack of food, bearing children, raising children, walking, pulling a hand cart... and the heat! We sure are lucky that the work has been done so that we could live in such a beautiful town!
Have a good Sunday and hopefully my blog will be in full swing by monday!

Whaz UP?

2008-06-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

So- Ive not been feeling well, but alas- I am all better. I had a horrible head cold for a full week, and I'm so thankful that it is behind me! So, I will be blogging again!
Girls Nite Out was fant-ab-ulous! We spent 5 hours of un-interrupted time at Applebee's just chatting it up and laughing out loud! Meow!
We are in full swing of summer- enjoying our cute kids and each other.
Hope all is well with everyone and I will be posting again this weekend and giving a more detailed account of whats happening and goin on!

Busy as a Worker Bee

2008-06-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

So- I know it has been awhile! Everyone stop calling and complaining- I had a Fabulous B-day.
I ditched playing tennis ( which surprised Adam) and I laid on the couch for the first part of my morning. Then we took the kids to Pizza Factory and I was able to see my beautiful new niece- Libby. I really came to grips that day that I am never having another baby. I'm 39 and NEVER having another baby! As I sat there, holding her in my arms, I had this warmth in my heart that even though this child wasn't mine- I am now able to focus on her and my other little nieces and nephews more because my kids are older. Bitter sweet.
Then we came back home and I took a nap- and then we went to the Temple. I love to see the Temple....
We enjoyed being there with other ward members and it was a good session. After- we went to dinner with a couple from our ward, The Richeys. They are and were a lot of fun.
I had a very enjoyable b-day, doing exactly what I wanted.
So- Adam is gone again and as luck would have it- Parker lost his first tooth! So exciting for him and I was so surprised at how calm he was as he handed it to me!
Tomorrow is GIRLS NITE OUT!!!

Must be Nice!

2008-06-05T17:42:00.000-07:00

So, here I am at home, runnin the show alone. Adam is away "working". I say it that way because he has gotten to go hang out with some of his "people" at a country club in Charlotte NC and now he is in Tampa going to a dinner and movie.
Girls why do men feel that this is work? Meanwhile my day started at 6:45, and more than 12 hours later I know that I have story time, a promised game of Trouble, Scripture reading, and the bedtime routine still ahead of me. When that's done and everyones settled I will finally be able to read my own leisure book. That wont be for another hour to hour and a half.
Now- I don't feel sorry for myself because this has been my life for the last 11 years, since our first child was born. All I'm saying is that my interpretation of work is clearly different from most- meaning my husband and I'm sure a lot of other husbands.
I think also maybe I'm a little envious- envious that Adam has not even once thought of calling since he is so "busy" enjoying himself. How many of us mothers can last 20 minutes away from our babies with out worrying about how they are doing, and if they are safe?
I don't wish for that ability, all I want to know is- am I the only one out there who feels this way?

Kickin It Old School!

2008-06-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

Forgot to mention- listen to some of my summer tunes- these songs bring back some good memories of my summers growin up. (except Rock Star by Prima J- it's a song I heard on Nickolodean) Thanks for bloggin

39 and STILL hot- or Not!

2008-06-01T17:41:00.000-07:00

So maybe I've lost some flair but I'm lookin forward to this year of being 39! I can't help but wonder- where did my youth go? I have so many fond memories of my childhood, and the one that just came to my head was- I was always worried where I was goin to be- I used to tell my mom that I wish I had a fast forward button so that I would know where I was goin to be later in life. She would tell me- "Stop worrying- slow down- enjoy this time- these are the best years of your life." That was when I was in high school and yet my thought haven't changed. I still wish sometimes I had that fast forward button.(especially now that we are trying to sell our home)
All I know is- each year as I gain another year, I look forward to it. Maybe I will change my attitude when I hit the big 4-0!
That being said, I am still on my quest to loose my last 5 which was 4 but is now back up to 5.
I know- I failed to lose the last 5! I really didn't put forth the effort but by July 4th you'll be congratulating me! So put that on your calendars.
Also- for those of you who live in my area- Check out this new cute store when you are in the area off Sunset by the" Golden Spoon." It's called "Queens and Jacks" and is owned by one of our local teachers whose name happens to be the coolest- Shannon!
She carries a variety of fun, stylish, top brand clothes. I just got two very cute shirts and spent just under $70. I love em and wore one of them the other day and got a few compliments.
Check her store out and lets keep her busy! (If you go there on a tues or wed you can stop in the Golden Spoon when it's two for one punch day- so DOUBLE treat yourself!)

IM STILL HERE!

2008-05-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

So yeah- it's been awhile, since my last post- I'm trying to earn the "Mother of the Year" award by just filling in the gaps for my kids. Kenzie had some "friend" issues the last day of school- so that was sad- so we did a shopping spree for her! That was fun but that still doesn't take away the "sting" of the jealous girl bite. Girls are cruel! I'm sooo glad that my daughter knows when to stand up for herself and her beliefs. Thankfully she's over it and on to enjoying her summer.
Parker is still holding on the that very loose front tooth of his- I cant wait to post that picture.
As for Tay- we have had a busy week with tennis and safety town. She is in tennis on tues and thurs and will go everyday to Safety Town. For those in our area- if you want to know more about this FANTASTIC 2 week program- call me!
So- tonight I was at Wendy's with Parker and Tay ( Kenzie was up at Veyo with her bff Kayla) and so I see this cute young couple with their two young babies. I noticed them because she reminded me of my bff Kim from elem. So I'm watching them interact and talk and all of a sudden she starts crackin up- I mean laughing hysterically at her husband. I'm trying to be covert- but I kinda start to snicker myself. She is hanging off the chair, holding on to the table,laughing hysterically! He is just sitting there with half a burger shoved into his mouth just staring at her with this look of "what". Turns out- he hadn't styled his hair and it was sticking out all over the place ( he did look kinda goofy) but the point of my story is- as I sat there and watched I thought how lucky it is that you could be so close, so in love with someone, and still have such a good laugh- not necessarily with them but AT them. He was so sweet and so good and got up and went to look at himself in the mirror. He came back and had put water in it to calm it all down- but she started up with the laughing anyways. It just made me miss Adam- he is in Tennessee right now. So for all you out there who are lucky enough to go to bed every night with your spouse- remember how lucky you are and give them lots of loves!
P.S- scroll down to see very real pics of a dead bird inside someones grill of their Chevy Suburb.
I saw this out in the parking lot of Old Navy and grabbed my camera. It was so sad. Other people stopped to see what I was doing and then they got out their cells. How could you not know or see this in your grill?

SO TRUE- SO REAL!!!

2008-05-30T20:06:00.000-07:00

Let The Good Times Roll!

2008-05-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

So as you can see- we had a wonderful time during our short visit to the Magic Kingdom! It all goes so fast when you are away from the everyday busy life. It reminds me of a song called "back to life", it was played back in the day. ( Check and click in the music section if you want to hear) So now we are back in reality and wishing another vacation was on the horizon. We had such a good time and I think that Disney is so much more fun now that the kids are older. I just think it is so funny that my fu-fu girl Taylor wanted nothing to do with the Princess Boutique. She didn't even want to stand in line to meet them. All she cared about was riding the rides and meeting Minnie and Mickey. All and all we had a fantabulous time and are sooo looking forward to our next mini vacation. Every summer we head to Newport Beach, so if you all are up for it- Lets go and Let the Good Times Roll!

Here Comes The Sun, and I Say It's All Right

2008-05-13T23:14:00.001-07:00

So what a day! We woke up to beautiful weather, and kids in good moods. The photo on the top is the view from our balcony and as you can see the sun was shining! We all had a good time- I even found 5 bucks, but I turned it in. I know- most people wouldn't do that, but I believe in karma! The workers acted like they were gonna hold it, but I'm sure they didn't really care. So we did see everything- in fact most of the rides only had a 10-15 minute wait. Of course for Nemo is was about a 45 min wait but we knocked that out early- it was our first ride. We did have to talk Taylor into alot of the big rides, but she conquered her fears! It is really late here, so I'm going to close and post more tomorrow when we get home! Since Parker is the focus here- I will continue. What can be said about this sweet boy? He was totally into EVERY ride and LOVED the fact that he could build his own Jedi sword! The worker was so sweet and helpful to him and kicked in a few extra crystals and sounds! He loved being with his dad- in fact- DAD was all he wanted today! He sure was a trooper.

OH WHAT A DAY!!!

2008-05-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

We had a great day despite waking up to a constant drizzle of rain. We were not excited about it, but it turned out to be good because the park was virtually empty for a good hour to hour and a half. We were wet and cold but we persevered! Eventually the weather cleared and we were able to do all the rides with the exception of the water rapids. Taylor got "kicked" off the "Jumpin Jelly Fish" because she was crying. That was at the start of our day and she was a little freaked out. Adam threatened to take her back to the hotel room, so she asked for one more chance and she ended up jumpin on the rocket ride which takes you high in the air. The picture of her with the wind in her face is her "flying" above the park. Grandma Pam is with us and thank goodness for that because she was able to be a great companion for Makenzie- they are die hards for the scary rides. Speakin of SCARY- Parker is the MAN! Riding ALL the roller coasters- he LOVED them! We all agreed that "Soarin" is pretty amazing! We did see a family from our neck of the woods- Makenzies' lil "boyfriend" Calvin. They are great friends and his lil sister is in Taylors class so they were SO excited to see each other here.

Pam and I were the dancers for "Jedidiah and his band". They got a kick out of us dancing in the street and called us their "Rockettes". Pam and I ended our night with "The Tower of Terror".

I hung on to her as if she were Adam- it was so fun and I just have to say- my bottom came up out of the chair- freaky! Hope tomorrows a better weather day.

Were Here!! Disneyland Lets Party!

2008-05-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

I can NOT believe that it took her FOREVER to figure out- we were at DISNEY! We are walking around the lobby- we are in the elevator- we are in our room and we are on the balcony( which over-looks the pool and we have a clear view of the Adventure Park where we can see Mickeys head on the roller-coaster) This picture captures her EXACT reaction when Adam helped her figure it out!

Celebrate Good Times- Come On!

2008-05-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

So today was Taylors birthday and what a fun day SHE planned. ( She planned out all her meals and what we were doing before school) So she requested for breakfast a half of a toasted bagel with sausage, over medium egg and cheese. Then off Taylor and I went to SHOP! She picked out cute sparkly flip-flops from Payless( the ones in the picture above)- and a really super cute dress from the Childrens Place. Adam was hiking Zions with Makenzie and her classmates today which made it nice for Tay and I to have some time alone. For lunch Tay wanted a mini pizza- which was so easy for me! I then took her to school and rushed to piano- to then rush home, grab Adam and head to a meeting about Parker ( more on that at a later time), then rush back home to decorate and fill balloons with helium. I wanted everything done when she got home as a surprise. She loved it! The bday girl wanted her favorite for dinner- TACOS! Then for her treat she wanted cookie dough ice-cream, brownies, hot fudge, and fresh strawberries. Uncle Rod, Aunt Diane, and Grandma Pam came to help us celebrate!

She says " this was a good day to be 6." She also wished today was her friends party again.

We had a party last Friday to celebrate since 2mmrow is father/sons weekend. It was fun but windy! Taylor was so excited to have her first boy/girl party and to have her closest friends from her class, and all her cousins there! She doesn't even know it but the biggest surprise will come Sunday afternoon when we check into Disney's Grand Californian Hotel. We are taking her there as a surprise- check our blog daily after Sunday night to see our daily pics!

Cinco De Mayo

2008-05-05T08:05:00.000-07:00

Party time! Yes- it was good news this morning! We are off to the gym- post ya later!

May Day,May Day!

2008-05-04T22:49:00.000-07:00

I cant shut my mind off- thinking about the end of school? beginning of summer? Or is it the fact that I am STARVING? My stomach is just crying out to me, but I will hold tight! ( Fine Melissa aka Pinky- I will confess- I had SOME carmel corn tonight) Which leads me to my next topic. I am so impressed with the VK fam and their ability to remain extremely calm and patient in the mist of a "situation". (Think potty training) Not only that- but Pinky managed to make popcorn ( in an air popper) and THEN she covered it in HOMEMADE "carmel" of butter, brown sugar, and marshmallows. Who knew it could be sooo good? We had a fun game night and are now in total and complete awe of this family who is raising 4 small, wonderful, and extremely good lil boys. Check out her blog to learn more about this family.
I am hoping that I will have lost at least a pound this week- we will see in the morning!

Not what I thought!

2008-04-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

So as promised here is my current weight! I thought somehow I would wake up and have magically lost 3 pounds! Wouldn't that be awesome? So there you have it folks!

If you read my comments you will notice how not smart "chinny chin chin" is- she just ratted herself out! In my defense- it wasn't a loud "toot" - AND we were at a Mexican food place ( even though I had a ceaser salad BUT I did have chips n salsa!)

So Chiners isnt as funny as she thinks she is!! Wish me luck and let me know whose jumpin on the wagon with me- chiners lets have another competition! Your going down- again! In case you just joined us- scroll down and find out why my weight is here

IT'S A NEW DAWN, IT'S A NEW DAY

2008-04-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

Okay- so, I was having lunch today with my friend who we will call "chinny chin chin" ( to protect her identity, and hide the fact that at age 37, while we were eating I noticed a tell tale sign of aging- A HAIR ON HER CHIN!!!) Any whooze- after I pointed this out to her, she tried to pull it out, and Im talking this hair was about the size of a babys' eyelash- she somehow managed to "curl" the hair! So now it is curled in towards her chin instead of hanging down! We were probably the 2 biggest dorks out in the parking lot of Panchangas! We almost peed our pants! Then I told her she should add a bow or a bead and go into work that way! I am cracking myself up again-it was hysterical! So she managed to pull the hair out completely- but I still have visions of her with a bead hanging off her chin " hello- may I help you?"

Oh the laughs! So this same person chastised me for not having my bffs on my favs( bet she's regrettin that now!)

So my new idea is..... I will be a brave girl here... Im going out on a limb....

Starting tommorrow, I am going to weigh myself in the morning after I have gotten completely naked, and I am going to post my weight! Why am I doing this? Well, some of you know that Adam and I have really gotten into tennis and running but for some reason- I have not been able to drop my last 5 pounds. Sometimes Im at 126, sometimes 129, but TODAY of course I was at 131! So I need some cheering on- so get your pom poms and megaphones out and lets have ourselves a game here!

I will be 39 on June 7th, and Im hoping to be around 123-125- Can I do it? Guess we will have to see! Anyone interested in joining me? Now there are some of you who are out for obvious reasons- Alisa, Heather J, Michelle B, and anyone else who weighs less than me! So look for my picture of my actual weight tommorrow in the a.m. This should help keep me on track!

By the way- "lakishckas" is what Taylor calls strawberry shortcakes. We dont know why- she just does!

Just Plain Lazy!

2008-04-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

Well people- I admit defeat! I am too tired to hook up my camera to transfer pics so I thought maybe I would just take this time to gab!
Everyone had a good week- no major bumps or stitches needed- yeah for that.
How about I tell you all of my favs and not so favs?

1. I HATE when my husband has control of the remote.
2. I love desp housewifes and Grey's anatomy- Adam hates those two shows
3. He just commented to me that we should ask the Bishop if the first mentioned show is something we should have in our home ( I would like to see him do that since he is sitting here in the same room watching)
4. I love being a stay at home mom even though I am rarely home!
5. I do NOT like overly sweet things but dont mind an occassional licorice twist (red) or an occassional piece of chocolate cake.( wedding cake being the BEST)
6. I love holding babies and smelling their sweet little heads.
7. I love the smell of puppies breath- not dog- PUPPY breath!
8. I love my calling but am glad when Sunday nights come around.
9. Texting! What a great thing! ( for the times I don't feel like talking but don't mind a conversation)
10. I HATE when I forget someones name, but LOVE when they remember mine! ( is that mean?)
11. Love my house- HATE to have to move away!
12. Wish I had that piece of cake right now
13. Love going to the beach- HATE that it takes awhile to feel like all the sand is off me
14. Love to sing along to "Fast car" and pretend I CAN actually sing
15. I love to play dress up and go on dates with my husband!
Those are my top 15 thoughts for the night. I will try to do my REAL page 2morrow- so Melissa VK- chill-ax gurl- I will try to update more for ya! I will admit that you are correct when you say I am a pretty exciting girl but....Not so much tonight!

2008-04-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

So, our big major event of the week was Taylor falling off the stool while brushing her teeth! As you can see, she had a big gash on her chin and needed to get 2 stitches. She was such a brave girl about it- she hardly cried AT ALL! Even when the doctor "pulled" some fat out of her chin, AND she wasn't even completly numb so you can imagine the pain of having the fish hook needle going in and out of her chin! Needless to say I did have to bribe her by giving her a trip to Target for whatever she wanted. So $35 later and a lunch trip to Jack in the Box- she was stitched up and on her way to school. She ended her day with a 100% on her first spelling test!

Parker earned a "yellow arrow" in Cub Scouts along with a patch for selling the most Scout Expo tickets. He also got a compass, a pocket knife, a flashlight for his head and a basketball. It was the most expensive compass, pocket knife, flashlight, and basketball we ever paid for! ( Hey- I have no shame, and when it comes to Parker- money is not an issue!) It warms my heart that he LOVES Scouts and that everyone is soooo sweet to him.

Makenzie got off restriction in time to enjoy her 4 day weekend. She passed off her "Give me Liberty" challenge which was honesty quite hard! She did in 1 week what normally should have taken her all school year. The picture of her and her friends is the future Relief Society! Her and her two best friends went and saw "Emma Smith", and when the movie was over- in their words- " we were surrounded by old people!" FUNNY!

So there you have our week, as for Adam and myself , the week was spent doing the normal things we parents do! We did manage to see "The forbidden Kingdom with Jet Li and Jackie Chan( good) and we have been playing "American Idol" on the wii- which is hysterical because I suck! So here is my question for the week-

Do you think we as parents push our kids enough to do their best?

I ask because I feel like I am constantly pushing and pushing and its not until my kids actually do it and "see" the fruit of their labors that they get excited. Why do we have to constantly push?

Oh and by the way- Deal or No Deal is NOT over yet- I got a golden ticket in the mail guaranteeing that the producers WILL watch my 5 minute video ( thanks to my friend Becki who got there late, wore heels and was there past 7pm!) I'm still not sure what I'm going to do but I am workin on it!

2008-04-14T22:27:00.000-07:00

So Im back from the Deal or No Deal tryouts! We did so good- it was tough! I still can't believe that people actually camped out the night before. We got there about 8 am and waited and waited and waited! Glad I didn't wear heels because you never got to sit! The line just kept moving and moving. So, we went in groups of 10 and we each had 20 seconds to just be ourself.

I was my normal dorky self and I did my Michael Jackson impersonation of "Hee Hee Hee".

Well that worked! I got to go on to the next part- and so now I had only 10 seconds to make an impression. I thought I did a great job but sadly I got beat out by some guy who claimed to have invented a new way to speak and by some girl who admitted that she waxed off part of her eyebrow the night before. Lame Sauce! But like the producers said- that doesnt mean Im out of the running. They do go thru our applications and sometimes they call people up to a year later.

I WONT BE WAITING BY THE PHONE but I do hope they call. All and all it was fun to be with my sister in law and her sister in law Charity- who happens to be in my ward.