Sick, Sick, sickety sick!!

I am so sick of someone in my house being sick. I know we are more succeptible to germs because Dawson is in school but come on. In the last 2 weeks I have had 2 colds,Mike, Emmalee, Dawson and Peyton have had the stomach flu, Peyton has had a cold (nothing serious, just lots of boogers) and last night the stomach flu hit me. I couldn't sleep last night and so I stayed home from church. My stomach doesn't hurt anymore but I still have the cold, not much appettite and I am achey, headachey amd light headed. We are supposed to have the missionaries over for dinner tonight. I feel so bad calling and cancelling, but Mike is going to bring them dinner. Then my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are coming for a few days. My house is trashed. Mike said when he gets back from his meetings he will clean the house. I love my husband.

Last night I wanted to finish Emmalee's dress. I was putting one of the puffs on the bodice and I messed up. My stitching was way too tight so now I have to go to Joann's tomorrow and get material to remake the bodice. I hope I can get it done by halloween.

Sorry such a negative post, just a bummer day.

One more

Okay I know that losing weight is something I ahve to do all on my own, but someone please help me. I know what to do and I have been succesful before but I am having the hardest time sticking to weight watcher's w/out going to the meetings. I just cannot fit it into our budget at the moment. Anyways I need help with motivation. You would think that how I feel physically and mentally about it would be enough but it almost paralyzes me from doing anything. Does that even make sense?

I just know that I have about 6 mos to lose atleast 50 lbs before we TTC. I wanted to get preggo by the beginning of the year (am I crazy?? lol) but since I can't get my keester into gear I am not gonna be ready by then and I KNOW in my heart it is something that we cannot stall. It feels like it is almost time.

Anyways someone help me. I love eating healthy and I do eat a lot of healthy food. It is just I get up and get so busy that I grab whatever whenever I can and don't keep track, If I could get some motivation I know I could do well. I want to feel energetic again and feel like putting make up on and have fun wearing cute clothes and enjoy getting ready to go somewhere and most of all I want to feel like Patti again. Sorry to whine. I just feel trapped.

Sorry about the multiple pics. I am too lazy to fix it!

n/m

Mike's Bday!

We had a lot of fun!! Last night I wrote this message in soap on his window!! I figured that I know he will give me a hard time on my bday so I might as well give him one too, lol.





Here are some pictures of the kids giving him his present from them. Shawn Marion is his favorite player so we had to give him this plus the hat for tonight's game. I took him to a Sun's game for his present and I also bought him a Peyton Manning jersey that I gave him the day I bought it...2 mos ago, lol. I am so bad at keeping suprises for him.






















Then we went to the Sun's game!! It was so awesome and it went down to the last minute but the Sun's won!! I LOVE basketball so much and watching a basketball game with Mike is one of my favorite things to do with with him(or football and baseball..but especially basketball). Yes Mike has started to get me interested in football..it only took 8 years, lol.

We were way up there, but it was still awesome!!



































While we were there we signed up to do a timeshare presentation. There is no way we could afford to do a time share. But for going we will get entered into a drawing for courtside seats, we will get sun's suite tickets for a game next month and $50 for dinner. So I will sit thru a time share presentation for that.

MIke and I had a blast! I love him so much!

Here are some random pics of the kids I took last night.

Happy Birthday Mike 10/25/1977

Mike is 30 tomorrow. I knew I wouldn't have time tomorrow to post so here I am today. Mike is a wonderful husband and father. He has made so many sacrafices for our family. For years he was working 2 jobs and going to school a bit just so that I could stay home with the kids. I am so thankful for that gift he gave us.

I know this sounds cheesy but I am so glad that I married my best friend. We have fun no matter what we do. He always knows how to get me laughing when I am down. He brought out the very best in me from the day I met him. He taught me what trust and unconditional love is.

He is so talented in many ways. He is a whiz at fixing cars and doing home improvement projects. He also is amazing at his job and I am so proud of him for all that he has accomplished.

He is so helpful around the house and with the kids. I don't know what I would do without the help he gives..especially now that we have 3 kiddos. He is a very unselfish person.

The very best gift he has given me is our 3 beautiful kids!


Mike I love you!

I am taking him to the Suns vs The Nuggets game tomorrow for his birthday. I can't wait!

I am copying my friend Tiffany!

She made a post asking for those who read her blog (even the ones she doesn't know) to reply and introduce themselves. I know that I blog hop a lot and I have found many people from teh past and I lurk on some I don't know, lol. I am interested to see who reads my blog, so introduce yourselves!!

I Love My Kids!

I had a parent-teacher conference with Dawson's teacher today! I was so happy with all that he told me. Dawson is in the High Honor Roll for first grade! The high honor roll is for students with 95% or higher for their overall grade. He said that Dawson is doing exceptionally well in reading and reading comprehension. He said that he has been suprised at how he can read hard words that they haven't even worked on yet! He told me that at the rate Dawson is going he will be reading at a 3rd grade level by the year! I am sorry I don't mean to brag but I am so proud of my boy! Mike and I are both Dyslexic and so we worried he may be too, but so far so good! He also said that Dawson's behavior is great and he is really great with all his math concepts.


I was having a rough day today. I worked on Emmalee's Cinderella costume all day and my house which was clean this morning was trashed by 4 pm. I was being hard on myself and wondering why I can't keep up with things. Well Dawson came to me with a card he made. It said "I love you Mommy". Isn't it funny how something that simple can lift my spirits. I am so greatful for my kids, they make me want to be a better person, and they don't care or notice all the faults I am hard on myself about.


In other news Peyton turned 8 mos on Sunday and he is now fully sitting up with out any support!

Well I am off to clean the house....

Steve Nash's Smallest Fan!

Okay Mike and I are die-hard Sun's fans. We will not miss watching one game. Infact I got some pre-season tickets for his birthday for next week against the Nuggets. Mike's fave player is Shawn Marion and mine is Steve Nash. While I was at Target on Monday I saw the Steve Nash baby jersies and I HAD to buy it for Peyton. Ofcourse I came right home and took pics!! Oh and I found that exersaucer on craigslist for $15!! THe older kids broke the other one last week and so I had to get a new one but I wasn't gonna pay $80. So I looked on craigslist and found this. I cannot say enough about how much I LOVE craigslist!



















Monday was fun. My Mother-In-Law is a bus driver in St Johns. She had to drive some kids down on Monday. So she called me up and we hung out for a few hours. We went to lunch and went window shopping. I feel very fortunate to have a very cool Mom-in-law. She is fun and we have a lot in common. The best part is she never gives unsolicited advice when it comes to disciplining the kids. We were at Panda and Emmalee had a melt-down because she wanted a fortune cookie and I said not until she ate her food. She wasn't gonna have that. She begins to scream (I was so embarrassed). So I look at my MIL and said we have to leave. She just got right up with me and we left. I am posting this because I have so many friends that tell me how their MIL's interfere or give them advice on how to discipline among other things. I am so glad that she respects my parenting even when I am not perfect.

Dawson's field trip to the zoo!

One of the things I LOVE about being a stay at home mom is being able to go ob field trips or helping out at Dawson's school. I have been able to go to every one of his field trips so far thanks to my mom and Shanna for kindly watching my younger monkeys. Yesterday we went to the zoo. It was so much fun. I only had to chaperone 3 kids (including Dawson). One of them did seem to be a bit ADD though. I had to constantly keep an eye on him or he would wander. He wander countless times and I was so scared I would be the parent who lost someone's kid. I swear he moved at the speed of light. I would see him and the next minute he was gone. It was a bit stressful for that reason, but otherwise fun.

Luckily I know one of the mom's of a friend in Dawson's class. We kept our groups together, it was nice to have the company and help, lol. I had a great time getting to know her better.

It was a lot of fun to see Dawson with his friends. He has a whole other side of him I don't get to see, so it was fun watching him. He is such a great, sweet kid and I am thankful for all the great friends he has.

Here are some pics. I am so embarrassed about how his hair looks. I have been nagging Mike to cut it for weeks, but he wants to grow it out a bit. It is driving me nnuts. I like clean-cut hair, especially since his is curly and gets poofy when it grows out. Plus when it is shaved short I don't have to comb it in the morning or worry that it looks messy. So I have warned him that if he doesn't cut it this weekend I will take him to my friend Tammy who does my hair and get it cut this weekend. It better motivate him.

Here are the boys in our group:

l-r Chace (the wanderer), Dawson and Carlos (awesome kid)posing with their fave animals!!



I loved this Scarlet Macaw! Isn't she beautiful??!!



The boys in the Rainforest/South America Exhibit:



These were some dang huge tortoises!







We had a lot of fun! I can't wait for the next field trip in Feb!

Meet Savannah

This is Savannah and her twin sister Shayde. They are Mike's cousnin Nicole's daughter's. They are the coolest, sweetest girls! Savannah has Juvenile Diabetes, but is such a strong kids. I wanted to share this message with everyone:


Dear Friends and Family,



It’s time for the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes. Last year was a big success. It could not have happened without the continued prayers, love and support of you, our family and friends.



At 16 months old, Savannah was diagnosed with Juvenile (type 1) Diabetes. Savannah continues to be insulin-dependent until a cure is found. Over the last year, Savannah has tolerated 200 shots and 3000 finger pricks. In the four short years since her diagnosis Savannah has endured 11,500 finger pricks and 3,700 insulin injections. Savannah is an Angel and takes 99% of these shots without even crying. She is one tough cookie that continues to bless our family with her strength and resilience!



We continue to believe in and support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in their efforts to raise money to find a cure for Diabetes. Together we are making a difference in our children’s lives. We must do everything in our power to help find a cure for Savannah . It’s our goal to avoid the heart and kidney disease, blindness, amputation, and early death that is a reality for many people with juvenile diabetes. Finding a cure is completely attainable and within reach. We feel confident an answer will be available before she goes to high school.



The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is the #1 non-profit organization of diabetes research worldwide. One of JDRF’s largest fundraising events is the “Walk to Cure Diabetes.” This year our team, Savannah ’s Angels, will be raising money for this cause. This year’s walk will be held on Saturday, November 3rd at Tempe Town Lake .



Here are three ways you can help make a difference for Savannah :



| You can join our Family Team, known as “ Savannah ’s Angels,” which consists of family and friends who collect pledges and walk with us. If you would like to join us on the walk please visit http://walk.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=extranet.personalpage&confirmid=86885894

| Send your donation and contact others in your circle of family and friends to donate as well. Contact us and we will send you a pledge form or you can visit https://walk.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=walk.supportwalker&walkerid=86885894

| You can send our family a tax-deductible contribution in any amount, made payable to JDRF. We will deliver any donations in Savannah ’s honor the morning of the Walk.



Our family is deeply grateful to you for helping us reach our goal of raising $5,000 this year.

I have been very busy

First off Dawson had 2 days off and Peyton is crawling and getting into EVERYTHING! So I have been deep cleaning to keep my little explorer safe. I am not even close to being done, lol.

I have also been busy working on my new project..shoppingcart covers! I am making some for a few friends as practice and I am hoping to sell them onmy Etsy site with my bracelets!

Here are some pics:

Here is Peyton in his!

here it is alone:

Here is one I made for my friend Jessica:













Oh here is the link to my Etsy site: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5329526

I also have a link on the side of my blog for my bracelet blog.

I just started last week and I had a great offer already! I am going to be selling baby name bracelets at a ladie's shop inn Maryland that sells embroidered and personalized treasures. She wants 2 display bracelets for her shop and she will take orders and send them to me! I hope it pans out well.

I am really hoping that after 4 years I can really get some business that is more than spuratic. Please feel free to spread the word about my bracelets and cart covers!


Well I am off to play a game of Uno with my kiddos.

I'm Still Alive, lol...

I have had a few friends email me and ask me if I am still alive and I am! I have been pretty busy. I have also been in a posting funk. Nothing much exciting going on. I have just had a lot of projects and errands lately.

Peyton is completely mobile. He was army crawling in small areas starting at 5 mos. Then a few days before he hit 7 mos, he began to army crawl thru the WHOLE HOUSE! Needless to say I have been busy chasing him around and keeping him entertained. He doesn't like his swing or saucer much these days. If I have work to do and put him in there he gets mad, so I let him crawl around and I end up getting side tracked. Oh well. I love my little boy and his crazy personality. He is a serious spaz. He is always smiling, laughing and moving.

I lost 2 lbs this week. I got a cool little weight watcher's points digital calculator. My paper one got wet and is ruined and for $10 more I bought the cool little digital one. I got it today and so starting tomorrow I can really keep track of my points again!

I am so excited for conference. It is going to be so sad not seeing President Faust though. I am anxious to see who the new counselor and the new 12 is though. I am craving to hear the messages this year. I need it.

We had Woman's Conference last week and they made a afternoon out of it. We had a Stake Enrichment Activity before and it was a lot of fun. It was nice to be without my 3 kids for a few hours and get some spirituality. I keep wondering what is going to be happening in the next few years. I noticed in the talks and at church lately the repeat of "Don't put it off" (we all know what our it's are). Our ward has really stressed having a ward plan for emergancies, getting out of debt (I am glad all we have is student loans and mortgage) and food storage. It makes me wonder what is coming.

I have had some experiences lately that have really made me realize I can't take my testimony for granted. I know that this church is true and I try to live the way I should, but I really don't get the spirituality I need on a day to day basis. I am trying to get back in the habit of doing scripture study. It may mean waking up before the kids..yikes! Anyone that knows me well knows that I am barely functional before 9 am, I wake up at 6 am and it takes that long to "wake up". So that will be a difficult step for me. I just want to be more in tune to help others and to be a nicer mommy. I know he is always with me, I need his help with things and I know I need to make a better effort to feel his guidance. I never want to lose the faith that I have and so I do need to nourish it better.

I just know that when I am atleast putting forth the effort to study my scriptures and live right I feel like I am trying my best despite my weaknesses and I can accpet my best better then. Does that make sense?

Well I am stealing a line from Mike's cousin Tiffany but Tsunamai Dawson, Emmalee and Peyton hit and the results were horrible on the house. So I am off to clean..Yay!

My baby Peyton is 7 months old today

I will add a new pic tomorrow. I cannot believe it. It seems like he was just born. He is seriously the best baby. He has been my easiest so far *knock on wood* and he has such a sweet personality and countenance. Plus he is just too stinkin' cute (although I am biast, lol). His laugh just makes my heart melt and so does his smile. He has been such a bright spot in my life and has made me want to be a better person as have all my kids. I cannot imagine my life without any of them.

Peyton is crawling completely now. He has been army crawling for 2 months but this week he has been up on hands (or elbows) and knees tearing thru the house. Let me tell you he is so fast! He makes it into the playroom or the front room all teh time now. I am afraid he will take to walking quickly too, lol.

Anyways I am having a bittersweet moment with it and I just do not want my baby to change or get bigger anymore. I know that is impossible though. It is really making me want #4 very soon too. I love having babies in the house. I feel so much closer to the Lord and have the sweetest feeling in my home when there is a baby. Plus I love holding, kissing, loving, spoiling and sharing that special bond you have when your child is a baby. It makes me sad that there will be a time when there are no more babies in my home.

I talked to one of my very oldest and dearest friends today. We lost touch and I have felt so bad that I forgot to call her that I was embarrassed to call her back when I remembered. I am so glad that she is a forgiving person and called me today. You know who you are if you read this and I hope you can forgive me for being the biggest dork in the world and I hope that we can keep in touch better from now on. I had a great time chatting!

I started working out again this week and I feel so much better. I am not sure why I put it off and dread it. I guess it is hard to take the time to do it. Still afterwords I feel so great and I am so glad I did it. I am gonna strive to make it a habit. I have a lot of weight to lose and if I want to get pregnant again soon, which I do I need to get my booty in gear. Mike wants another kid so bad and so do I. I feel like if I don't lose the weight soon I will procrastinate and I just don't wanna go there. So I will be posting my loss or gain weekly from now on and if I don't remind me and hold me to it so that I will be more accountable and inspired. I am just tired of feeling frustrated because I am not where I want to be and so I decided I just have to do it or I won't be happy.

We got a wii finally. It is so awesome. I love having the old games like super mario brothers, etc. It was supposed to be a christmas gift but we tore it open and are now using it, lol. It has been fun and a great way to spend time with the kids. It is also a great bribary tool for homework and chores. I highly reccomend it.

Been crazy busy

I have had a few friends remind me that I haven't updated my blog in a while. I have been busy, yet it feels like nothing has been accomplished. I have not been able to get caught up on my housework since we got back from camping on labor day. I just can't seem to keep up with everything and no matter how much I do I cannot even make a dent in my to do list. I know it is all part of life though. I just wish there was a way to get things flowing a bot smoother and keep it that way longer than a few days to a week.

I am one who likes things in order but I am a scatter-brain and dyslexic when it comes to my thinking and organizing. It can be pain staking for me to organize. My thoughts get so scrambled. Anyone else like this? It is worse when my house is in total organizational chaos. It gets to the point that I put things off. I do not like this.

Plus I just don't have time to get "me" things done like scriptures/prayer, shower (till like 5 pm) or even exercise or eat right. I want bettering me time.


I know I need to write things down to get them straight but I just need advice on making my house more functional and organized on a daily basis? I am a cleaning freak and I still can't get it all straight. I hope that made sense. I am a bit tired so I probably rambled.


Things are good here. Peyton seems to finally be over his thrush *knock on wood* and no more ear infections. He is sick with a cold now though. I do love that he wants to cuddle more now though. He is almost completly crawling. I give him one more week or so and I think he will have that milestone marked off. He does get around the house great though and I am trying to get things babyproofed. I cannot believe my baby will be 7 months on friday. I seriously do not want my baby to grow up. I am so attached and close to this child. Not that I am any less attached to my other kids, but I know to well how fast they grow and become less dependant on mama.

Dawson is doing great in school. he got his progress report last week and he has all A's and a 95% average in school. He is reading like a champ and I now have to find 2-3 books to keep him reading 15 minutes a day. Usually he wants to keep reading and reads for a total of 30-45 minutes. I am proud of him and love that kid so much.

Emmalee is back in dance class and loves it. Her new teacher is teaching tap, ballet and jazz. She really seems to have a nack for dancing and I hope she will keep it up. She is talking like she is 5 and we have some great conversations. It is so crazy how girls mature faster than boys.


Mike is working hard at work and scouts. he really loves being a scout master and is working so hard at developing a 2 yr plan for his group. He is the best husband ever and I love him so much.

I have had a few big bracelet orders and I am trying to finish my sewing projects. I finished my shopping cart cover and now I am starting on Emmalee's Cinderella costume tomorrow. I really love sewing. I still have a long way to go but I really enjoy sewing.

I have been sick this week and I am praying that this cold goes away so I can feel normal again, lol.

Stole from Melanie

A is for age: will be 30 in 4 months (ha ha Mel you will be 30 before me!

B is for Breakfast: a couple of whale crackers

C is for Career: mother & wife

D is for my Dog’s Name: Mugsy and Buffy

E is for Essential Item I Use Everyday: computer, chi, cell phone I agree w/ Mel!

F is for Favorite T.V. Show: FRiends, CSI NY and LV and House

G is for Favorite Game: Super Mario Brothers!

H is for Hometown: Gilbert, az

I is for Instruments I Play: sing, some piano, viola, cello and french horne

J is for Favorite Juice: apple, passion, mango

K is for Kitchen, What Color is it?: tan walls w/ black, burgundy and green accents

L is for the Last Place I Ate Out: Chuck E Cheese..are ya jealous?? lol

M is for Marriage: happily married for 7.5 yrs

N is for my Nickname: Patti, Topanga (Lanae, Short stuff (Mike)

O is for Overnight Hospital Stays: too many to count, 3 babies, 4 ear tube surgeries, 3 clef pallate surgeries, tonsils.. wow 11.
man I think that is it
P is for People I was With Today: Emmalee and Peyton and my friend Nichole

Q is for Quote: this too shall pass

R is for Biggest Regret: not finishing college yet..someday!

S is for Sport: sports? I love watching basketball (go suns!) and basketball, love playing volleyball.

T is for Time I Woke Up Today: 6 am

U is for Favorite Piece of Undergarment: my g's

V is for Last Vacation you Took: St JOhn's in July for the 24th

W is for Worst Habit: biting nails and eating

Y is for Yummy Food You Ate Today: nothing was exceptional today

Z is for Zodiac: sagitarius

I tag all my blog buddies

Dawson's Birthday Party!

It went so great! We had a pirate party. We made telescopes, had a treasure hunt and ate a pirate ship cake. I was quite proud of that. I suck at cakes but thanks to some tips from my friend Shanna, I actually did a decent job. Anyways here are the pics!


Here is the Gang:

(Front to back l-r)
Dylan Zimmerman, Londyn Blanch, Bo Tenney (L blue shirt), Marcor Hansen (AKA Emmalee's boyfriend, lol), Mati Hansen (she wasn't facing forward, but she is the cute blonde girl in the red shirt in the other pics), Emmalee, Dawson, Ian Fielding, Dillon and my neice Catie Lou (she never faced forward either, lol) and ofcourse Peyton joined in for the pic, lol).