Jacob's Soccer Team

I obviously have a lot of blogging to catch up on. I’ve been a little out of sorts since turning our life upside down and moving to Utah.

One of the first things I did was sign Jacob up for the city soccer league. He was in HEAVEN! He scored a goal in his first game.

It was such a kick to watch all these little 4 and 5-year-olds running up and down the field, trying to get a piece of the ball, even if it meant steam rolling their own team mates!

Jacob definitely has some great kicking skills. Now all we have to do is get him to RUN FAST!

I LOVE this picture. Click on it so you can see their faces. It cracks me up!

Here is Jacob lining up to score a goal. I love the goalie's face.

Look at how tiny they are. SO CUTE!!! Jacob was a giant compared to a lot of these kids.
Nice kick Jacob!

Jacob loved being the goalie, but most of the time he was swinging from the top of the goal, or staring at airplanes and the like.

There were more than a few injuries, and Jacob was convinced they were intentional because “the other team just wants us to lose!”

Yeah! High five Coach George! Great job buddy!

We Are Moving to Utah...

In one week! Holy cow, I'm freaking out! I'm super happy, because this is what we've wanted for a long time, but it is insanely short notice, and I'm completely overwhelmed with the task ahead. Rich has to start on July 13th. So, we're going to pack light, go on up, then I'll come back at the beginning to middle of August to take care of things here. I'll have to purge, pack, clean, paint, fix, and ready the house for renting. Then, I'll have to find renters. YIKES!!! I really want to curl up into the fetal position and cry.

I have so many emotions running through my heart and mind at this point. I'm excited our dream is finally coming true, but scared of all the uncertainty and unknown. I'm overwhelmed, and a little terrified of having to do almost everything in regards to the house on my own. I'm worried about taking a pay cut, and the standard of living we will have to adapt to. But, I'm overjoyed that I will be closer to my parents, and that we will be able to enroll Jacob into the school of our dreams.

I've never experienced so much internal turmoil. I know everything will be okay. I know there will be a lot of people to help me. But, it doesn't lessen the knot in my stomach, or the sadness I feel at leaving our wonderful ward, and good friends and family here.

We have loved living here in Surprise, and could not have asked for a better ward. I'm certain there is not a better ward in the entire church! I'm so grateful for modern technology, and the way it makes the world a little bit smaller. Knowing this makes the sadness of leaving a little less.

So, on to the new chapter in our life. On to renew old friendships, and reunite with distant loved ones. Heavenly Father really does work in mysterious ways.

Thanks Amanda!!!

Amanda Avalos took these darling pictures for us. Vivian, of course, was NOT cooperative. We spent an hour and a half chasing her all over the park. It's a good thing Amanda wore her running shoes!

You're amazing Amanda!

                          
                          
                                  

                                    

 

                        

 

I Need To Find A Home

For these guys...

And this guy.

Meet Scout!

He is playful and adventurous. He is also a cuddler. He was the first one to venture out of the bed, and he loves to explore. He's got a lot of spunk!

Meet Princess!

She is sweet and cuddly. She loves to play with her siblings. I think she has a beautiful face!

Meet Ollie!
He's a little cutie. He has white "socks" on his back feet. He loves to romp around and tackle his brother and sister. He's also a cuddler.

Meet Jordan!

Isn't he a little cutie? He is also a cuddler. He needs a good home. He is well trained. he cooks (he owns his own Kitchen Aid) and cleans. He has a nicer wardrobe than I do. He is a returned missionary. He owns his own business. He has had years of training from his mom and sisters. He is well groomed. He has a boat. He loves to travel. He loves his mother. He is 26. He's a good boy!

He is free to a cute, loving girl.

Pinewood Derby Here We Come!

Our ward is having a Ward Pinewood Derby today. Everyone can participate, so naturally, we thought it would be fun for our little man to join the race.He wanted a golden car, so we spray painted it gold, then I free handed the flames. I'm thinking I should apply for a job at West Coast Customs. What do you think?


For some unknown reason, he wanted his car to have the number 9 on it. We tried to get him to do a number 1, or number 5 (because he is 5 years old). He said he needs a higher number, but could not explain why that was so important. I used a scrapbooking rub-on number. Cool, huh?


Have you seen that commercial with the little boy who makes his own car for the pinewood derby? His car is very basic. When he gets to the race he sees that all the other boys' cars are all tricked out, and he looks a little concerned. You hear his dad talking about how he told him just to do his best and have fun.

We've been having this discussion with Jacob all day long. He is so competitive, and gets really upset when he doesn't win. He's obsessed with being #1. We keep going over how the Pinewood Derby is all about having fun, and congratulating the people who win. We explained that all the kids want to win, but not everyone can. We are happy for the winners, and excited that we got to participate. His response: Yeah, but I'm going to win because my car's the fastest.

*sigh*

I'll keep repeating my mantra to him, and pray that he exercises good sportsmanship. But, as the dad says at the end of the commercial, as his son takes home the trophy; "winning isn't bad either."

I'll post an update on the outcome of the derby.

*Update*

Well, our awesome car did not do as well as we had hoped. He came in 3rd in the first heat, and 6th (last) in the second heat.

Though he was a little disapointed, he took it like a champ and was happy to have raced. His only comment was "all the other kids' cars are faster. Mine is just a slow poke."

We've learned form our mistakes, and next year I think we'll go for a little more streamline design. It was a great time!

Thanks Aunt Kim! Thanks Grandma!

Aunt Kim came to stay with us for a week so she could play with us, and help our mamma. She got up early with Viv so Mamma could sleep a little. She made us breakfast, and played outside. Aunt Kim and Vivi spent a lot of quality time in the back yard because they got locked out! We ate at Macayo's a lot, cause that's Aunt Kim's favorite. They don't have Macayo's in Idaho, where she lives.

Each night, when I say my prayers, I thank Heavenly Father that Aunt Kim could come and stay with us for a while. We miss her!

When are you coming to see me again Aunt Kim? We are going to Grandma and Grandpa's house in a couple of weeks so my mamma can go see the doctor there. Wanna come play with us?

Grandma came to stay with us too. Mamme needs a lot of help lateley wrangling Vivi and me. Grandma read us stories, and played games. She took good care of us so mamma could get some rest. Grandma even cleaned my room, and Vivi's room and organized everything! Mamma says now that my room is all cleaned, we can decorate it with rocket ships, and glow in the dark stars! Grandma is the best!

Grandma, We're coming to stay with you and Grandpa for a couple of weeks! Can we go to the dinosaur museum and the aquarium? Can we make cookies and play in the water?

We can't wait to see you!

The Fashionable Miss Vivian

This may be my favorite outfit ever! She is so her own person.

Just Plain Silly

This is Going to be sort of a catch-up post for the long distance fam. Lots of pictures!

I think this pic is SO indicative of Vivi's personality right now. The terrible twos are in full swing. She is so defiant, and WILL NOT be contained. Pose for a picture? Forget about it! Be nice to her brother? Rarely. Do you see her trying to get away from Jacob as he tries to hold her hand outside the Mesa Temple? *sigh*























This was going to be such a cute picture...
Except Vivian wouldn't sit still for even a second. Jacob gave it his best shot, but to no avail.

Ah, then there's Easter. Do you think I could get a decent shot of them together? Not a chance. I did, however, get this shot of Vivian with her binkie in her mouth and a jump rope in her ear.










This is an "I'm not going to cooperate at all" pose.














At least the little man is somewhat cooperative. He looked so cute in his bright Easter colors.















I do love this pic. I love how Vivi is looking up to her big brother. I need to find a better blank background spot... or take the picture down when I have them pose. I wanted to take some photos outside, but that would have been a disaster with Vivian. As evidenced in some of the pics below, if there is a speck of mud anywhere, she will find it!



Ah, here we go again.

We found several of these little surprises in our Easter eggs. Jacob, who does not like egg yolks, was not impressed.

He was impressed with his chocolate bunny, and the fact that mom actually let him eat some of it BEFORE breakfast!

The spoils of the day! Vivi got a Tinkerbell outfit from the Easter bunny.

A princess costume, and chocolate! It doesn't get much better than that for Viv.

Jacob loves to take self potraits.

Vivan is OBSESSED with this sweater and hat. It's 95 degrees outside and she insists on wearing them... overtop of her heavy winter jammies, which she also insists on wearing.

The hat again.

I think this is my favorite ensemble. She has her own sense of style!

Then there's the sidewalk chalk. The sidewalk has to be covered with water so she can smear the chalk all over everything, especially herself. You'll notice she is decked out in half of a princess costume.

What did I tell you about the mud?

I suppose I would pay good money for this type of mud bath at a fancy spa. Crazy baby!

She must get the crazy from her brother. Here he is pretending to be a monkey.

He even had to eat a banana, which is not really his favorite, to prove his point.

Her Royal Highness, princess Vivian!

Even a princess needs to swing sometimes.

I should take all my pictures while they are in the Mustang. It's the only time Vivi will sit still next to Jacob!

I got this pic before Viv picked up her lunch and ran away.

Everything's all good if you've got your binkie.

Jacob came downstairs in this tux which he wore for his Uncle Robert's wedding two years ago. He says it's his tap dancing outfit. I really wish he had a top hat. We were all treated to a little ditty.


So, there it is. It's pretty much a day in the life of the Stone clan. There is never a shortage of entertainment, concerts, messes... uh, I mean artwork, drama, kisses, hugs, "I wuff you Mama," and hopefully nap time!

What Would Simon Say?

Future American Idol? You be the judge...

Simon: (say it with a British accent) "Absolutely the best performance of the night."

Randy: "Dawg, that was HOT!"

Kara: "You are such an amazing artist! You took that song and made it your own!"

Paula: (with a dazed look on her face, speaking like she has a mouth full of peanut butter) "Is the sky purple? Oh look, budder but-but-butterflies. You are such a shiny star. I love you!" This comment takes her a full 10 minutes to spit out.

I wish Jacob would come out of his shell. It's so hard to get him to express himself. And in case you were wondering, Jacob did improv those two songs, and yes, that is Rich in the background providing the guitar track. My family is so talented! Jacob gets his dance moves from me.

Tune in tomorrow. I'm hoping I get voted off. Or at least sent on a weekend getaway... At a spa. A quiet one. ("You Had a Bad Day" is playing in the background).

I'm Forcing Myself To Post

I have a lot to post about, but I just don't have the motivation. However, I'm tired, as I'm sure you are, of looking at the same thing every time I open my blog. So, here we go.

Jacob's 2 Wheeler

Jacob has been saying for some time that he wanted us to take the training wheels off his bike, but we felt he just hadn't had enough practice. Then, Darla told me about this ingenious invention called the Balance Buddy (shown here) that attaches to the back wheel where the training wheels once were. You hold the handle while they ride. Presto! No back aches, no falling over of the bike. Jacob was riding by himself in a matter of 20 minutes. It gave him confidence and stability. We took the Balance Buddy off of the bike the next day. He is riding like a pro. I highly recommend this little tool. I got mine on Amazon for $17.99.

He is super proud of himself, as are we. I can't believe how big my baby is getting. Next, he'll be starting kindergarten *sob,* losing teeth, and exercising his independence. I am finding it hard to catch my breath right now. Why can't I just stop time?

Wendy DeWitt Update

If you want to see the first segment Wendy did on BYU, you can watch it on BYUTV's website. Below is a comment that was on Wendy's blog from viewer services at BYU.

We always appreciate hearing from those interested in our station and its programs.To rewatch the episode with Wendy DeWitt, go to www.byu.tv and click on "February 23" and on 7:00 PM. It will come up with the Living Essentials episode and you can just watch it right there.
I hope this is helpful to you!
Sincerely,Catherine
Viewer Services BYU Television

I Am Inspired!

I know many of you have heard her, but, for those of you who have not been to a class presented by Wendy DeWitt, you're in luck! Someone has video taped her class and put it on youtube in 9 segments, totaling about an hour. I know, you may be thinking it's absurd to sit and watch youtube for an hour, but trust me, once you watch the first segment, you will not be able to stop yourself from watching the rest. It will change the way you think about, and approach food storage forever! She is a genius, and she is funny!

I finally feel like I could actually do this whole food storage thing. I've been buying food, but I have no idea what I have, or what to do with it (other than the 2 year supply of peanut butter I have accumulated). Wendy has the most brilliant, simple system for calculating, buying, and keeping an inventory of your food storage, and it's all food your family loves to eat. I can't believe I never knew any of this before now! Why didn't someone tell me? (Alice, Wendy's daughter-in-law, is laughing at me right now) Go to Wendy's blog where you can download her all-inclusive booklet. It will tell you everything you need to know, gives you recipes and tips, and has a copy of the master shopping list you will create. Brilliant!

She has done 3 segments for Living Essentials on BYUTV. The first segment aired a couple days ago. They will replay it on March 14th at 4am (set your DVR!). The next segment will air on March 30th at 7pm. The last segment is yet to be announced. If you go to the Living Essentials website, you can get more info, and you can even purchase a DVD of the episode.

Here is the first home video segment on Youtube. If you look to the right of the screen you will see the rest of the 9 segments.


I hope this will inspire and help you, as it has me. We can help each other by alerting everyone to good sales on common items, sharing foodsavers and canners (I have a foodsaver), creating a group order for solar ovens, sharing recipes, etc.

Now, if anyone has any brilliant food storage space ideas, I'm all ears!

Not Actually Tagged

I was not officially tagged, but I've seen this on two other blogs with an open invitation, so, here it is. Go to your picture files. Open the 6th folder, and the 6th picture. Post it on your blog and tell the storyof the picture. then tag 6 people.

This is Vivian. She likes to swing on the bar of the swing set and act like a monkey, complete with ooohh ooohh, ahhhh ahhhh sounds. She is so funny!

She takes after her brother.

Crazy Monkeys!

Now I tag Kodie, Kim, Natalie, Heather, Alice, and Danell

Beautiful Women

My sister-in-law sent this to me today. I thought it was very poignant. I'm sure some of you will receive it in an e mail as well. It's circulating.

The e mail says Audrey Hepburn wrote this poem, and that it was read at her funeral. According to truthor fiction.com, that is not true. It's actually written by Sam Levinson, whom Audrey Hepburn liked to quote. Even so, it's a beautiful poem, and a great reminder.

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

A Study In Contrasts

Here's our little princess, Vivian. She LOVES shoes. She is so obscessed with them, if you're not careful, she'll knock you down and take the shoes right off your feet!

She was very excited to receive several pair of princess shoes for Christmas, along with a princess crown, and jewelery, which she calls her "pretties." Yesterday, she pranced around the house all day wearing her pretties, sipping from her princess tea set, and reigning like a little dictator. What Princess Vivi wants, Princess Vivi gets! (or she'll throw a royal tantrum).

Viv also LOVES to play outside. Much to my dismay, here is what I found the little princess wearing after playing out in the "garden." I didn't have the presence of mind to take a picture while she was still in them.

How can such a little princess love to get so dirty? Jacob HATES to get dirty, and he's a boy!

These were brand new pants, and I feared they would not come clean. I mean, just look at that mud! Miraculously, they still look new after a good washing.

Speaking of laundry, Can I just say I LOVE BLEACH! I love how fresh and clean everything looks and smells! I think my biggest pet peeve in life is that icky sour smell that grows in damp things, then ruins everything it touches, including your hands. It makes me gag! I usually use wet paper towels, or Lysol wipes to clean my counters because I can't stand the thought of a germy, mildew smelling dish cloth. No matter how many times I beg, plead, threaten, throw away sour smelling towels, this stinky phenomenon continues to haunt me. I think it's a pretty simple concept; damp + warm = MILDEW! I've found a method of washing that does a pretty good job of getting the smell out, but it involves several steps, and soaking, and I just don't have time for that. Which is why I have decided that from now on, every towel, rag, dishcloth, and washcloth I buy will be pure white, therefore, allowing me to bleach the heck out of it at the first sign of stinkiness. *GASP!* White towels with children and a husband??? You bet! Bleach will take care of that!

Take a look at this laundry! (I'll spare you the shots of the underwear, although they are sparkley white!) I wish you could smell these socks. It makes me want to run through a meadow singing! If all my laundry looked like this, I would gladly do laundry every single day. This is my kind of aromatherapy.

If I thought I could get away with dressing my family in pure white all the time, I would do it! (except for me because I don't want to look as wide as a house! But I'm not the problem here).

I wish someone would invent an air freshener that was called "just bleached, pure white deliciousness." Or better yet, a Fabreez-like spray that I could dowse my entire house in. Don't give me any of that tropical misty rainforesty garbage. I want REAL bleachy clean!