The Durling's

I've Moved!

2010-06-26T16:54:00.001-07:00

I've moved my blog. You can now view it at:

www.thedurlingdays.blogspot.com

enjoy!

I Promise

2010-04-01T22:24:00.001-07:00

I'm still alive...I promise...Blogging has taken a backseat, but I'll be back...I promise ;-)

Happy Birthday

2009-12-19T22:16:00.000-08:00

Happy 5th Birthday to my little man! I love you Ethan!

Beautiful Kids

2009-11-07T15:07:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...I haven't posted in days....Truth is, I pretty much use facebook now. All the status updates is just like blogging right? As you all know, I also started a photography blog and so most of my blogging fix goes to that one. What can I say...I'm a busy mommy that has to figure out her priorities.

Every year, I take my kids somewhere and take their pictures for the 10 photo collages I have of each of them on my walls. I try to change them in the fall. So I took them out to the Powerhouse and now that I am going through them, I am not sure I have enough photos of each child to fill the collage up...Anyway, Here's a little update on the kids as I have failed to even document the milestones on paper for future posterity...

Raya:

She's growing up and is almost as tall as me...She definitely doesn't have the Poindexter gene when it comes to height! She has been playing soccer and is a defender. She LOVES it. I was worried at first because after all, soccer requires running, but I haven't heard her complain once...Imagine my surprise when she chose to join the Pacer club at school! Not only does she have to get to school early, she has to run laps! It's a pretty cool club. They participate in local marathons including the one to Feed the Hungry on Thanksgiving day...School is going pretty good for her. She's getting excellent grades in everything except math (she takes after her mother I guess)...We are working on improving her scores, but the bright side to all of that is that she is in the high math group...For Halloween, Raya chose to be a character from Harry Potter this year. Hermione Granger...She resembled her quite well. She's been reading the series which has been awesome because she is now realizing that reading is actually fun! She's a blessing to have and I love her so very much!!!

Malia:

I am glad that Malia feels comfortable at home...I really am, but being the loudest kid in the house sometimes gets on my nerves. I guess since she is so mellow and quite out in public, she has to let out that energy somewhere and so why not do it in the one place she feels most comfortable! Malia is fun! She is always finding ways to entertain herself. Her and Ethan are the best of friends and it's fun to watch them play together. Malia (along with Raya) has joined the chess club at school. I went there and watched them for a little bit the other day. Coming from someone who knows almost nothing about chess, I was impressed at watching Malia move the pieces on the board and take down her opponent. Malia is still a little monkey. I am constantly having to remind her not to scale the trampoline poles or any other object that could potentially cause great damage if she fell. She is a great help around the house and I often find her cleaning her room without being asked! She too is a blessing to have and I love her bunches as well!

Ethan:

Ethan is the jokester of the house. He is constantly "tricking" someone. He loves to tease (in a good way) and tell jokes to his sibling's. Ethan has been playing soccer as well and has developed a great talent at the net. Being goalie is where he thrives and if he had it his way, he would prefer to stay at the net. We had to give him a little talking to last week when he was out on the field (not in the goal), he kept running around pushing people down. I guess I am the one to blame for this because he loves to play a video game called SSX Tricky. It's a snowboarding game and you can push people down in it. We haven't allowed him to play the game since then and he asks me everyday "Am I never going to get to play SSX Tricky again?" It's quite cute. Because of it, he wants a snowboard for Christmas...We're getting him a skateboard instead. I have to exercise great patience with Ethan. Someone please tell me that the cry baby, pouty, fit throwing, is just a phase...please???? This is what Ethan looks like all too often:

But even then, he's still cute!

Carly:

Carly is growing up way too fast. I can't believe all the things this kid does and says. Most of her language is alien to me, but everyday I understand more and more. I love how she says her sibling's names. Even in less than a week, she went from pronouncing Ethan's name from "Eee Hee" to "Eee Hin"...It's way cute! She follows directions like "Go get Raya for me" and even though Raya doesn't understand what Carly is saying, she still runs down the hall calling for Raya. She loves getting dressed and putting her shoes (or anybody else's shoes) on. If I need her to leave me alone for a short while, I give her some clothes and shoes to "play" with. She loves to help me fold laundry and has the whole shaking of the clothes thing down. She is also great at helping me unload the dishwasher and even if the dishes are dirty. She calls her blanket her "NaNa" which I often get confused when she actually wants a Banana. She loves milk and could drink it all day and not eat anything if I let her. She has started to want to potty train, which I think might drive me crazy if I don't start the training process with her. She is constantly taking off her diaper and climbing on the toilet unassisted without even a potty chair. I just know that one day I am going to find her in the toilet, feet high in the air! She's growing up fast and soon I won't have a baby baby anymore... I just loved this picture of her:

Here are all my babies...they're growing up way too fast!

A Little Mommy Bragging

2009-10-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

Ethan had a great soccer game this Saturday. He got to play Goalie for the first time and he rocked the net! The kid only let one get by him and he was getting so much action the last half of the game. One little boy from the opposing team took at least 10 shots on Ethan in like 5 minutes, but my little man blocked every single one of those. Anyway, I think we have a natural goalie on our hands and I am so very proud.

So You Think You Can Dance???

2009-09-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

Raya and Malia both liked to dance at a very young age and it was sure cute, but Carly LOVES to dance. Anytime there is music on she is moving around waving her arms and twirling even if someone is holding her. It's hard to get it on film because she is a tad bit shy, but I was able to get a tid bit tonight and thought you'd like to see her do her thang!

Fairest of them All...

2009-09-10T21:32:00.001-07:00

I am going to be entering Carly and Malia into a contest. Basically I need to submit a photo and an essay explaining the photo and also explaining why they are the Princess of all Princesses. I have narrowed the photos down to two for each girl, but I need your help. Please leave a comment and tell me which one you like better (using the numbers above the photo)...I'd really appreciate it!

1)

2)

3)

4)

Oh, and check out my photography blog for more photos of my little princesses!
www.rachaeldphotography.blogspot.com

Soccer Season Has Begun

2009-09-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

Ethan had a scrimmage the other day. I pulled the camera out and Ethan immediatly said "Mom, are you going to take pictures of me?" After the game was over, he decided to pose for me. Check it out!

Do you think modeling could be a good choice of a profession for him? Obviously he is very comfortable with the camera, and by the looks of it, he's used to having one in his face all the time. If modeling doesn't work, perhaps being a professional soccer player might:

Apparently, sticking out your tongue while playing soccer makes you run faster and play harder too.

New Blog

2009-08-28T17:13:00.001-07:00

I started my own photography blog. There's only one post so far, but check it yo!
www.rachaeldphotography.blogspot.com

Soarin' with the Sorensons...

2009-08-22T21:02:00.001-07:00

I LOVE this family! They are hilarious and down for anything!

It's tough being the only girl!

Okay, Okay...here's one for the family wall...

and there's more to come! Thanks guys for being so fun!

And The Winner Is....

2009-08-22T12:47:00.001-07:00

Using a website called ClassTools.net, which has a random name picker, I have a winner for my little contest I posted earlier.

Drum Roll PLEASE.......

BRITNI N.

You are the winner of 20 5x7 Christmas Cards.

Here's the proof:

Thanks for all of you who played along and check back soon for the Sorenson family pictures I did yesterday!

A Creative Christmas Gift

2009-08-09T21:06:00.000-07:00

Sing with me now..."Tis' the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la, la la la la"...Oh! It's not that time of year yet? Silly me! I've been thinking a lot about Christmas for a few weeks because, 1. I want a new Digital SLR Camera and 2. I want a killer keyboard so I can learn to play like Chris Martin from Coldplay.

I know I'm being a tad bit selfish and maybe even having a little wishful thinking on the whole "playing like Chris Martin" part, but the truth is, I'm not going to rely on Santa Claus to bring me these items this year and I have a plan.

I have always struggled purchasing gifts for different members of my family, mainly my parents and in-laws. It's not that I don't know their character and what they would love, it's just that they don't seem to "need" the latest nose hair removal system or Bath and Body Works lotion specials. The items I see that would really benefit them in some way or another, are of course, out of my price range, so I turn to the talent God has given me and create personal gifts that not only bring tears to the eyes of the receiver, but that can be treasured for a lifetime and then some.

This is the first year that I have decided to put myself out there and actually offer up my services instead of you asking me personally. Notice that I am starting early in the season? Oh wait, it's not the season just yet! Well, anyway, I have high hopes for an awesome response to what I have to offer, after all, I am playing Santa Claus this year, not only to myself, but also to my sweet kiddos.

Here's what I am offering:

Photo Video Montage

For those of you who don't know what this is, it's basically a bunch of pictures put together in a slideshow format with music added to it and some custom titles thrown in throughout. I then burn it to DVD and create a custom cover and light scribe label. For Father's Day this year, I gathered some pictures of Patrick and our kids and did a photo montage as his present. I saw tears welding up in his eyes and knew that this gift was more special to him than that $50 gift card to Fry's Electronics I thought about getting him would ever be. You can view it HERE.

PRICING:

-100 DIGITAL photos $50
-Duplicate DVD's $8 each

-200 DIGITAL photos $75
-Duplicate DVD's: $8 each

Do you have photos that aren't digital? No problem! Just add a 20 cents scanning fee to each non-digital photo. You will recieve a CD with all your scanned images in digital format.

Each DVD comes with a Custom DVD Cover and Light Scribe Label. See Sample below: (Click on photos to enlarge for better viewing.)

You also get to choose the music you want, or I can help guide you if need me too.

Your Photo Montage can be created for someone specific like the one I did for Patrick, or we can make one that can be universally given out like to grandparents, parents, in-laws, etc. You can knock out gifts left and right doing it this way, AND it's cheaper too!

Are you excited yet? Well, I'm offering more...

How many of you upload your family photo to Snapfish or even your local drug store and create a generic Christmas card and hope that after you've sent them out, no one else picked the same design as you? Well, check this out:

Custom One of a Kind Photo Christmas Cards

-50 5x7 Cards and envelopes for: $40
-Each additional 25 cards with envelopes: $15
-Singles are just 75 cents each

-50 4x6 Cards and envelopes for: $25
-Each additional 25 cards with envelopes: $10
-Singles are just 50 cents each

You email me a photo or photos and I email you a proof when finished. After you approve, they will go to print and depending on where you live, I will either drop them off at your home or mail them to you.

Do you want to add a Photography Session to your Christmas Card Package? I'm so down to photographing you and your family and using the photos for your card. You also get all the edited images on CD with full copyright so you can print the photos you want in the sizes you want at your favorite place of business. Here are few samples below. Click on them to view a larger image:

I want to make it clear that everything I do is ONE OF A KIND. I try to capture the personality of your family and bring it to life. I am a self proclaimed perfectionist. Everything I do is top quality. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!

So are you excited now? If your not excited yet, I know you must be intrigued because you are still reading this rather lengthy post. Soooooooo, I am going to throw in one more thing...

This post is mainly for the Video Montage and Christmas Card items mentioned above, but my true passion, what I truly LOVE, is the ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes of precious newborns. There is nothing more perfect than a brand new baby. Before I did Christmas Cards, I was doing birth announcements. Check out some samples below:

Once again, your announcement will be one of a kind.

Newborn Package: You get:

-Newborn Photo session. You will receive all edited images on CD with full copyright.

-50 5x7 Birth Announcements with envelopes

-Video Montage with photos from the session with custom DVD cover and light scribe label.

Cost is $100

Need more announcements? No problem!

-25 additional announcements $15
-Singles are just 75 cents each

The following is a video montage with photos from a newborn session that I
recently did for my friend Stasia:

If you are still reading this, I know now that you are excited. And to make it even more exciting for you, I am going to offer up a little raffle. Everyone likes free. I know I do. So here's the deal. Comment on this post and tell me what you think of the samples I have just shown you. If you have already experienced first hand my talent, tell me what you think. If I don't know you at all, that's okay, comment away. When you do this, you will be entered into my little raffle and will win 20 5x7photo Christmas Cards (you provide the picture). I will pick a winner using some random name picker that I will research how to do online soon and the winner will be announced on August 22nd! So go ahead, comment now. If you are interested in any of the above services, please contact me via email at rayasmommy@yahoo.com or just leave a comment. I will then give you more information and answer any questions you may have. And just so you know, all the above services are not limited to Christmas only. I've done Birthdays, Thank You's, Vacation's, Birthday's etc. I'm down to do whatever so email me alright? Ok, I'm outta here. Thanks for reading!

The Many Faces of Ethan

2009-07-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

This kid cracks me up...I swear!

Hangin' with Coldplay!

2009-07-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

Never mind the drunk guy that thought he owned the section we were sitting in and wanted to start a fight with a 50 year old woman...Never mind the couple a few rows in front of us that should have purchased a hotel room instead of concert tickets... Never mind that it was 104 degrees at the Sleeptrain Amphitheatre until the sun went down... Never mind it cost $24 for 2 waters and two sandwiches...and Never mind the 45 minute wait to get out of the parking lot even driving aggressively after the show...COLDPLAY WAS SOOOOOOO AWESOME!

Coldplay puts on the raddest show! A few different times, the band moved off the stage and played in different parts of the crowd. While traveling to one of these places, the band walked right next to me...literally. I could reach my hand out and touch them. Unfortunately, I was trying to get a video of it on my phone and didn't get the chance to touch those sweaty British singers. If you watch the following video closely, you'll see the lead singer, Chris (You know, the one whose married to Gweneth Paltrow), walk by in a blue shirt super fast:

I didn't bring my camera....GRRRRRRRR.... so I took pictures of the famous dude that is on every morning show around here with my cell phone, he walked by me too:

A nice treat at the end, was a free Live CD of Coldplay and sporting on the cover was 2 butterfly's (one on each side)...the same butterfly's that were blown all over the stadium as confetti during one of their songs!

Guess I got some pretty good seats considering they were "in the middle". I mean, all the sights I got in my seat were amazing (except the drunk guy making out with his girlfriend and the other couple who couldn't keep their hands off each other)!

Here's to hoping that the Killers, Blink 182, and Weezer puts on a show as good as Coldplay...Two more concerts, here we come! I'm soooo excited!!!!

VIVA LA VIDA BABY!

Check Up

2009-07-09T23:04:00.000-07:00

Carly is already 18 months old. Crazy, I know. Where does the time go? Oh ya, changing diapers, feeding, playing, loving, cuddling, disciplining, protecting, transporting, and so on and so forth, children (take a deep breath now...Phew!)
She had her 18 month doctor appointment today. When they put her on the scale, all I could do was quietly laugh. A nurse who obviously is familiar with our family (cause the doctor's office is like our second home), walked by and said "She hasn't gained any weight has she?"...All I could say was "Nope"...Carly weighed in a whopping 18 lbs. 13 oz. That's 0.04% and not even on the growth charts! Technically, she should still be facing backwards in the car. To put it in perspective for you, a friend of mine has a five month old who weighs, 18 lbs. Another friend of mine has a six month old who weighs 16 lbs. One more friend of mine has a daughter who is 3 days older than Carly and weighs close to 30 lbs. My child's a shrimp. Guess she fits right into the Poindexter side. If you know my side of the family, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

An hour before her appointment, she was running and tripped, landing right into the corner of a chair. I was praying that when I picked her up and faced her to me, she wouldn't be gushing with blood. She wasn't but she had a huge goose egg on her head with a bloody mark. The doctor took a look at it and said that it was a hemotomin (spelling?) and not to be surprised if she woke up in the morning with black eyes. I don't beat my children, I swear.

The doctor's office had a teeny tiny basket of toys in the room. While waiting for the doctor, Carly dumped all the stuff out and climbed in: (if you look close enough, you can see the goose egg on her forehead through her massive amount of hair)

I just love that little girl of mine!

Late...I Know!

2009-07-04T21:04:00.000-07:00

I have bigger and sometimes better things to do other than blogging these days. I mean, I haven't even blogged about my anniversary which was at the end of May! Activities creep up and then they're gone, leaving only a memory.

I just wanted to share the present I made for Patrick on Father's Day. I made a little scavenger hunt with clever clues that led to a homemade candy bar card. The last clue was on the card which led him to the TV where he watched this:

I am so glad that he is the father of my babies. He's a great dad and I am grateful he's stuck around for all these years. Love you babe!

Surprise!

2009-06-20T22:14:00.000-07:00

We threw Raya a surprise slumber party for her birthday this year. Everything worked out so well, kids got along just fine, and they were all asleep by 2am...Heck ya! It's all good over here at the Durling home...Check out the series of events...

Oh ya...how could I forget this one???

Happy Birthday to my Sweet Lil' Raya...I can't believe she's 10!

A Rite of Passage

2009-06-19T23:39:00.000-07:00

I have so much to blog about. I do a little at a time thinking that I will soon be caught up, only to have more items blog worthy to post...Maybe one of these days I will sit down and blog all day... As for now, enjoy this video of Raya and Malia getting their ears pierced...I totally remember getting mine done back in the day, how I would have loved a video like this to capture the moment..

What a Difference A Year Makes...

2009-06-11T15:57:00.000-07:00

A Decade Old

2009-06-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

10 years and two days ago, I was attending a baby shower for someone rather special

Her due date wasn't for another 9 days and it was her first child so she assumed that her due date would come and pass before the precious tenet inside her decided to move out.

She received some great gifts and enjoyed the company of the many friends that were in attendance. The next day, she cleaned and nested all day long. She knew that nesting was a normal part of pregnancy and welcomed it because it made her OCD very happy. After pulling dinner out of the oven, she went and laid down on the couch watching the last part of a sitcom and thought to herself, "As soon as this show is over, I am going to go and dish me up some of that Tater Tot Casserole".

The credits for the show came on and a POP was heard. The mother quickly got up and ran to the bathroom trailing amniotic fluid behind her. It was a split second before she realized that the time had come, the time had come earlier than expected for her tenet to move out, and she was a little bit upset at herself for putting of packing her bags for the hospital until the next day.

The dad on the other hand was busy learning not so necessary information so that he could provide a better life for this new spirit. The mother frantically tried and tried to get a hold of him to no avail. He was equipped with a pager and instructions that if a 911 number popped up on his screen, then it was time. This pager, however, wasn't placed in an appropriate place and wasn't heard until he was walking into his class. Finally, the beeps were heard and a phone call to his excited wife was made. A decision to meet at the hospital was thought to be best and 1st time grandma drove the now in labor mother to Kaiser, the same hospital that she and her husband were born in.

An amniotic sack breakage confirmation, an epidural, and 7 and a half hours later, a precious little cry was heard throughout the room. Raya Marie was welcomed into this world by all the doctors and nurses, Mom and Dad, Grandma P. and Grandma D., Aunt Sarah, and...Uncle Jason, Uncle Jacob, and Uncle Jared (yes, all these men were in the room during delivery).

One Day Old

One Year Old

Two Years Old

Three Years Old

Four Years Old

Five Years Old

Six Years Old

Seven Years Old

Eight Years Old

Nine Years Old

Ten Years Old

A decade later, Raya has been a blessing in the lives of her family. She is a beautiful daughter of God and a wonderful big sister. Her parents have been truly blessed with her sweet spirit in their home and can hardly believe that she has already lived more than half of her childhood in their home. Happy Birthday to a sweet and beautiful 10 year old. Your parents and family love you so very much!

Field Trip Mania

2009-06-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

Being an involved parent has its moments and its rewards...like gold. I got to drive on three different field trips for Raya's class this year. All of them towards the end of the year.

The first field trip was to the State Capitol. We made our way through many different rooms where laws are made, discussed, voted upon, and even vetoed...yes, I got to see the Governator's office....guess what? It looks like a plain old office.

We headed over to the IMAX theatre to watch a movie on California. I've never been to the Imax Theatre. It's HUGE...I got a little motion sick watching the movie and had to close my eyes. I really didn't want the hot dog and chips they fed us to come back up in front of all the 4th graders...

On another field trip, We got to go to Sutter's Mill in Coloma. We panned for gold and I struck gold 3 times...Raya twice, but she also found Garnet (my favorite birth stone) and of course...fools gold! It was awesome.

We hiked to the John Marshall Monument (you know, the man who actually discovered gold). We got to see a VERY old cemetery and John Marshall's cabin complete with the outhouse right outside. There was also a church and an old prison. It's crazy to think that a community lived in that small of a place...everything in walking distance...

The last field trip I drove to didn't require me to stay. I just dropped off and picked up. I got a few pictures though. The class went down to the community pool along with all 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. Later that night, a massive lightening storm hit. What great timing!

I had a blast and am grateful to all my babysitters who watched Ethan and Carly for me so that I could enjoy these things with Raya and her class.

Partying Chuck E Style

2009-06-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

I usually go all out for birthday parties, spending way too much money and inviting way too many kids, but this year, I decided to bring it down a bit and told the girls that they were going to have small parties this year. Malia really wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese. I hate doing party's at places like that because they way over charge, but being the money conservative that I am, Malia was able to enjoy Chuck E Cheese with 5 of her friends, a lot of family, and we only forked out $60 while we were there. It would have cost me $110 had I done a party with them. Everyone had a blast including Patrick, and we then traveled home for cake and ice cream sandwiches and opened presents. It was a fun day. Simple too, which is always good this time of year!

The Gift Bags:

The Cupcakes:

The Birthday Girl:

Some Presents:

Check out the last three pictures. Notice anything they have in common? If you noticed the pink dinosaur then you are pretty observant. Malia registered for a few different Webkinz. Not sure what happened, but when looking at the registry after the party, there were some Webkinz on the registry that Malia didn't receive that said that two people purchased and vis verse...so much for registry's and Thank Goodness that friends brought gift receipts...Malia got 9 Webkinz for her birthday. She returned 5 of them because they were all duplicates.

Make a Wish:

Now Blow Out the Candles:

Happy Birthday to my Seven Year Old!

Book Reports

2009-06-02T19:11:00.000-07:00

The due date seems to creep up quickly and I find myself letting Raya stay up til all hours of the night working and creating the projects that go along with her report. Her latest was a biography on Walter Elias Disney. Ever heard of him?

We're still awaiting her grade, but I was able to watch her give her oral presentation and if I were her teacher, I would give her an "A"...wouldn't you?

Can Hardly Wait

2009-06-01T08:15:00.000-07:00

I have a lot to blog about and will do so shortly...In the meantime, enjoy this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSFMmkMfQ5Q

I can hardly wait!

Seven Years

2009-05-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

Seven years and 18 minutes ago, Patrick and I welcomed our second beautiful daughter into this world.

Weighing in at 7lbs. 1 oz. and 19 1/2 inches long, Malia Dawn Durling was born!

Malia has been a blessing in our lives and having her sweet spirit in our home has been such a wonderful treat.

Malia at One Year Old:

Two Years Old:

Three Years Old:

Four Years Old:

Five Years Old:

Six Years Old:

and now 7 Years Old:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Sweet Malia! I can hardly believe you are SEVEN years old! I love you!

Wild Dandelion

2009-05-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

First off, I just want to say that I do have other children besides Carly. Three other children to be exact. I do not play favorites when it comes to my kids nor do I prefer one over the other. I know that I have posted a lot about Carly these past few posts, but I really can't help all the crazy, funny, and exciting things she does and learns. With that being said (or wrote for that matter), here are some pictures of Carly while jumping on the trampoline. I've named these pictures "Wild Dandelion"...You'll see why.

Climbing Gene?

2009-05-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

I've heard the stories time and time again about Patrick and his brother Anthony climbing on the roof of their home at the young ages of 3 and 4. I've seen that side of him get passed down to Malia. We call her the Monkey for a good reason. She has a great talent for climbing and I have found her on the roof of the house as well as a beam (over cement mind you) that is level with the roof. I've watched her scale the trampoline enclosure poles and make it to the roof and then back down. She's 6 years old.

What I didn't imagine was that the climbing gene Patrick possessed would fit more closely with another child of ours. Her name is Carly and she's 16 months old weighing in at a hefty 17 lbs and she can already do this:

I guess I need to make sure that when I'm not in her bedroom, I close the door...always!

Watermelon Anyone?

2009-05-15T16:58:00.001-07:00

Awesome!

2009-05-14T17:25:00.000-07:00

I blog lifted this from a friend who blog lifted it...(thanks Stash)

Sometimes a re-make is better than the original...I love it when people get creative with trendy songs!

Birthday Invitation

2009-05-09T21:41:00.001-07:00

I just got finished creating Malia's Birthday party invitation. I blacked out information that I would rather not let the world see especially with my beautiful little lady's picture next to it, but I'm super excited at how cute it turned out! Check it out...

Splish Splash

2009-05-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

Think I should go into business?

Self Portrait

2009-05-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

I was messing around and took this picture of myself. Look at how black my hair is!! I guess that Native American blood I have in me is showing through...Maybe I should switch to team Jacob :-)

Why The Long Face?

2009-05-08T15:16:00.000-07:00

I had my niece here over night a couple of days ago. She's about 4 months older than Carly. It's been said that she's been called the "easy button" and after having her for 30 hours straight, I believe it. After getting the kids ready for bed, I took some pictures...Carly wasn't having it!

So sad, yet so cute!

A Very Sad Day in Blog Land...

2009-04-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

It is with great sympathy that I write this post. As you may or may not be aware, I have gone on a blog spree of posting every day for the month of April. Today is the last day of the month and so that means it's the last day that I will be posting every day.

It's been an interesting ride. Most days I scrounged up things to post. Most of those were not of any importance (yes, including all those Twilight posts), and other days were happenings that were very blog worthy.

I've learned some things during the last month...

1.) When forced to do it, blogging isn't all that fun

2.) Blogging every day puts a damper on my creativeness.

I think I will stick to blogging when I really feel it...when something touches me deep down in my soul...or when I have that urge to be the self proclaimed TWERD that I am...

I won't be gone too long :-)

A Little Malia Bragging...

2009-04-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

Every Wednesday the girls bring home the "Panther Press" Newsletter from school. It's filled with information about the happenings at the school. Today's newsletter was extra special. It mentioned Malia not once but TWICE!

Once a month, the principal holds a special lunch called "Character Counts". Classmates vote on two students who show great examples of different characters like FAIRNESS, RESPONSIBILITY, CARING, RESPECT, CITIZENSHIP, and... Malia's favorite... TRUSTWORTHINESS which is what Malia was voted for! I'm so proud of my little toothless girl!

(Malia is slowly losing her teeth. She lost her first front one about a week ago and the other one is wiggly. The tooth fairy can't wait to come to our house again!)

The other reason that she was mentioned was because she received the PRESIDENTIAL PHYSICAL FITNESS MILE RUN HIGH SCORE... She came in 4th place out of all the 1st grade girls! Once again, I'm super proud of her. She is coming out of her shell and rockin' the Panther Press!

Contributors to my Madness

2009-04-28T15:41:00.001-07:00

Sorry...it seems that everyone is contributing to my Twilight madness including my neighbor...Whoever did this, did it so well...you might want to cross your legs while watching or go to the bathroom before you watch...it's totally funny!

Taking It One Day at a Time

2009-04-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

6:30am Wake Up
+
7:30am Take Malia to school
+
8:00am Take Patrick to the airport
+
9:45am Take Raya to the doctor
+
10:30am Take Raya to get an X-ray of her ankle
+
11:30am Take Raya, Ethan, and Carly to Big Spoon
+
12:00pm Put Carly down for a nap
+
2:20pm Pick Malia up from school
+
2:50pm Go back to the school to pick up Raya's homework
+
5:00pm Head to McDonalds for a very healthy dinner (NOT!)
=
ONE TIRED MOMMA!!!!!

The Yearbooks are In!!!!

2009-04-26T18:29:00.001-07:00

So the 3 long stressful months out of my year spent on creating and executing an elementary school yearbook have come to an end and I have the final product in my hand. The book looks awesome!!! I've already received many compliments on it with most wondering how we are going to top it next year...

They obviously don't know that I won't be doing it next year...

Oh My...

2009-04-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that I can hardly wait for New Moon to release on November 20th????? I mean seriously! Look at what it will be filled with:

Need I say more?

Weight Loss

2009-04-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

I think I'm going to start a weight loss blog. Don't worry, I won't scare you with any "before" pictures here. Anyone want to start a weight loss blog journey together?

No This is Not Another Twilight Post...

2009-04-23T18:04:00.000-07:00

I have this program that I use to create all sorts of video productions.

and it sucks! I am at a point where I think I might change. The problem is, is that I know this program in and out and don't know if I really want to take the time or have the patience to learn a new one.

I've filmed 5 plays in the past year and used this program to edit them and add some creative Rachaelness and even though I had problems with every single one, eventually I get it to work for me.

I just realized that the time I spend re-doing productions, brainstorming ideas on what to try next, and executing those ideas to see and hope that it works, could be used on learning a more cooperative program. After all, they all work basically the same.

So...if you have a video editing program and you think it rocks, please let me know. PLEASE!!!!!

My Friend Christine

2009-04-22T12:35:00.000-07:00

I have been blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful women in my life. There are so many of them, that it is hard to blog about just one, but today, I am going to tell you about an amazing woman who I've been blessed to know...

Her name is Christine. This is a picture of her and her husband:

(No, that is not her real hair)

Christine and I have been friends since high school. We drifted our own ways shortly after high school only to re-connect and find that we had a whole lot in common. Both of us were stay at home moms, both had sweet baby girls, and both were married to computer nerds.

She has 3 beautiful girls who are around the same age as my girls. We have regular play dates and with the girls all being around the same age, it's a blast...except for Ethan who is often left alone.

I think Christine is such an awesome mom. I watch how she is raising her children and I look up to her and want to be like her in so many ways!

1.) Christine is very respectful when she speaks to her kids and even though she doesn't always get the same respect back from them, she doesn't lose her patience and beat them (hahaha)

2.) Christine is committed to her children's schedules. She is always driving them to dance or gymnastics and soccer and is very involved in all the behind the stage happenings in all of them (with a toddler in tow)

3.) Christine home schools her girls. Do I need to say more? Anyone who can homeschool their children and still love them, deserves a special award. (I am not saying that I wouldn't love my children if I homeschooled them, I'm just saying that I don't have the patience to do that)

4.) Christine is HILARIOUS...I love talking with her. She makes me laugh all the time!

5.) Christine and her mom are best friends. They do everything together and lean on each other for support. I am often envious and wish that I could have that same relationship with my mom and hope that I can have that with my girls when they are older.

I could go on and on. I am so very grateful to have her in my life. She is a very giving lady who I am so grateful to know.

Christine took both Raya and Malia with her and her family to watch as her older girls performed in Alice in Wonderland, a ballet. My girls enjoyed watching their friends perform one of their many talents.

This is Christine's oldest Jaimie who is Raya's age:

This is Christine's middle, Jenna, who is Malia's age:

This is Raya and Malia backstage with Jaimie and Jenna after their performance:

Thanks Christine, for taking them and for being such a great friend. I am so lucky to have you in my life!

Preparing For Tonight

2009-04-21T09:27:00.001-07:00

I'm filming a play tonight. It's called Stone Soup. You know the story right? I'm excited and nervous but I've been here before. I just wish my head would quite hurting. It's hard to function.

2009-04-19T19:58:00.000-07:00

While searching the Internet for some creative and enlightening things to share with you this day, I came across a website that seriously got me rolling in laughter. Now you all know that I am a Twilight Fan and that I even called myself a TWERD in a previous post... I am beginning to re-think calling myself that after going through this site. The title of the site...

www.twilightersanonymous.com

There was a link to that page with the top Twilight Blogs that I could search through. This is where I was rolling in laughter...Check out some of the titles for these blogs...

Edwards Meadow
Cullen Boys Anonymous
Twilight-Zone
Twilightning
What the Forks?!
Touched by Twilight
Volturi Guard
The Twilight Files
Bite of Twilight
Twitarded
Cullen Enterprise
Twerds
Twilightations
Singing Blood
Spidurmunkey

and my personal favorite...

Pillow Biters

These were just a few of the blog titles I came across. I only opened up two blogs to see what they were all about. Basically people stalking the cast and one even had a video of Jacob Black working out on set...like for 10 minutes...(no, I didn't watch the entire thing)...

So, I have two options now. 1.) sign up for twilightersanonymous.com and spend some of my free time reading all these cool titled Twilight blogs anonymously, or 2.) sign up for twilightersanonymous.com and spend some of my free time reading all these cool titled Twilight blogs and then blog about what I read...hmmm tough choice don't ya think?

All Eyes!

2009-04-18T17:32:00.000-07:00

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard how much Carly looks like Malia.

Just look at those eyes!

Coming Out of the Closet...Some More...

2009-04-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

I don't think that I have mentioned that I am addicted to Twilight enough on my blog so I am dedicating yet another post to my unhealthy obsession...

You know that post I posted a long time ago that could quite possibly be a book? You know, the one that compared the book to the movie and my own personal casting for the lead rolls for the film? Ya, that one...

I broke down and bought the movie. I secretly counted the days until it was released on DVD even though I didn't like the darn thing.

It's been out for less than a month and I can't tell you how many times I've watched it...too many to count...(I got to watch something when I'm folding laundry).

I'm proud to say that I got my neighbor Jennifer (Hi Jennifer!) reading Twilight. She borrowed my DVD over the weekend. I jokingly said good-bye to the movie and watched it walk out the door with Jennifer. I knew it was in good hands.

I couldn't stop thinking about my DVD. Knowing that I didn't have it, made me want to watch it even more (I told you I have a sick obsession with Twilight)...I was relieved when Jennifer brought it back to me Monday.

I immediately put it in the DVD player and watched it to get my fix...The movie has grown on me. There are still a few parts that bug me, but that's what the fast forward button is for. Of course there are some really RAD scenes like the baseball scene and my personal favorite...Edward saving Bella from the group of drunk violators...I mean seriously, did you catch how that car whipped around and continued driving effortlessly?

I guess the reason for this post is to let you know that I am coming completely out of the closet...standing tall...being myself...Rachael...Rachael, the TWERD! (Twilight + Nerd = TWERD)...HAHA!

Love This

2009-04-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

No, I did not write this, but it's total blog worthy AND it fills up one of my days!

Everyone concentrates on the problems we're having in this country lately: illegal immigration, hurricane recovery, alligators attacking people in Florida .

Not me. I concentrate on solutions for the problems. It's a win-win situation.

1. Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border.

2. Send the dirt to New Orleans to raise the level of the levies.

3. Put the Florida alligators in the moat along the Mexican border.

Any other problems you would like for me to solve today ? Yes!

Think about this one:

1. Cows
2. The Constitution
3. The Ten Commandments

C O W S

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow.

T H E C O N S T I T U T I O N

They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq . Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it has worked for over 200 years, and we're not using it anymore.

T H E 1 0 C O M M A N D M E N T S

The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse is this:
You cannot post 'Thou Shalt Not Steal,' 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery,' and 'Thou Shall Not Lie' in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians...It creates a hostile work environment.

Tonight

2009-04-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

I'm just about to head to the store...by myself.

Think I'll stop by Baskin Robbins on the way home...

I've got a long night of folding and putting laundry away a head of me...

Can't wait!

America's Funniest Videos

2009-04-14T06:37:00.000-07:00

I spent a good number of hours yesterday going through old videos. I've always thought that the following one should be sent to America's Funniest Videos. Please excuse the annoying music and loud laughter, but you just might join in on the laughter...This video is of Raya at the age of 2 years old...

Silk Tie Easter Eggs

2009-04-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I should have posted this a long time ago...Please don't be mad!

Raya was at Activity Days last week where I learned of this great way of dying Easter eggs...

Basically, you get a bunch of old silk ties. I guess the thrift stores carry them for around $1.50, but I just raided Patrick and my dad's closet.

Next, you cut pieces of the tie large enough to fit around an egg.

Then, you wrap a raw egg with the bright side of the fabric toward the egg and put a piece of white cloth over the silk. The white cloth could be an old sheet, pillowcase, or in my case, a shirt that Patrick grew out of. Then you twist tie them so that the egg is nice and secure.

Place all your tied eggs in a pot filled with water and some vinegar. I'd highly suggest that you obey the laws of laundry and seperate the colors because it does bleed (especially the red).

Bring to a boil and then turn the temperature down to simmer for at least 20 minutes (a little longer if you plan on eating the eggs).

When you are done, let the eggs cool. Unwrap them and VOILA:

The pattern from the tie transfer to the egg and the best part of it all...no messy hands or die to clean up. Just throw everything away or use the silk pieces for another batch. It was so easy and not time consuming and the eggs were beautiful! I highly recommend this for all of you who have children or are children at heart next year when you die some Easter eggs!

Lost in Oroville

2009-04-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

We headed up to Oroville yesterday to visit Patrick's family. His brother from Utah came out and so 4 of the 5 Durling sibling's were able to get together for a jolly good time. Let's just say that it was a full house.

My little guy Ethan got lost while outside playing. He ventured into some other people's house thinking that it was his grandma's house only to find it dark and quiet. He thought that everyone had left him. He walked outside and starting bawling. A nice neighbor lady found him and they were able to find us. No one knew he was missing until the lady showed up at the door with him. I felt awful. Ethan quickly came to me and buried his head in my shoulder and let out a very sad cry. Not the "I don't get what I want" or "I'm hurt" cry...the kind that breaks a mother's heart.

The kids had fun going on an Easter egg hunt at great grandma Olson's house. There were 196 eggs for 11 kids. Carly quickly got the hang of it. She enjoyed breaking open the eggs and finding candy in it, although she was a little ticked when mommy took the treasure away.

Great Grandma Olson's neighbors were trying to give bunny's away. Raya thought for sure that she was going to get one, after all, they were "free" and they came with a cage.

Dad and I said no, so she did this:

We had a great time visiting and arrived home just in time for the Easter Bunny to do his thing:

I guess Carly needs to eat breakfast before such nonsense...

Today, we were able to go to church and celebrate the real meaning of Easter, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was great sharing with the primary children the real reason why we celebrate Easter and I was impressed at how much these little children know. Their parents have taught them well.

We came home to a house full of family for another Easter egg hunt. This time, the treasure inside was not candy but...money and pieces of silver.

Easter egg anyone?

Happy Easter everyone...

PS...anyone need a loan? I'm sure my kids can hook you up.

The Evolution of a Nickname

2009-04-11T14:44:00.000-07:00

Carly Fox

Carly

Car

Carly Que

Miss Que

I think that posting everyday on this blog is really putting a damper on my creativness...hmmmm.

Sharing Time

2009-04-10T09:23:00.000-07:00

Carly loves Titus! She gets so excited to see him and has no fear of him. Titus is very gentle with her and tolerates much! Carly is learning how to share...see below:

April Showers Bring May Flowers...

2009-04-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

I wake up with a plan everyday with what I will be doing and about what time I will be doing it. Today I was planning on taking the kids out to the river for some spring time pictures only to look outside and see rain clouds filling the sky. I decided to take a chance and get all the kids dressed and head on down. As soon as we walked outside, the sprinkles started. I wasn't about to let all the hard work of preparing 4 kids for pictures go in vain, so I buckled them all in the car and began our adventure.

To my satisfaction, the sprinkles subsided and I was able to get some cute pictures of my darling Durling's.

The kids were able to teach Carly to throw rocks into the river:

And of course 90% of the pictures looked like this:

and this:

and then there was sweet ones like this:

and this:

As soon as we were done, the rain started and I am not just talking about sprinkles...Thanks goodness it wasn't THAT far of a walk to the car.

Editing these pictures has been fun. I've been playing around with Photoshop. I thought that these were kind of cool:

While editing the photos I realized that Carly's hair was a little crazy and that the poor kid had a huge bruise on her forehead...guess that's what happens when one learns to walk.

I know you are wondering where I got those amazing outfits for the kids...

I'm pretty crafty. I usually can look at something and re-create it to fit my taste. I love all forms of crafty art but there is one thing that I wish I knew how to do and that is sew. I took a sewing class in 7th grade and made a pair of shorts. Sadly, that was the only thing that I have ever sewn. So, Patrick's cousin Evonne is a total super-mom. Not only does she work, she is a mother of 3 cute kids and she is always creating something. I am a faithful follower of her blog. She had posted some pictures of her cute girls wearing dresses and offered straight up on her blog to make some for whoever wanted one...I quickly took her up on her offer and with a few tweaks (like a skirt instead of a dress for Raya) and about a week later, I opened a package mailed to me from Utah with these awesome Easter clothes in it. If you haven't noticed Ethan's tie matches some material on the girls clothes too. It's pink and sure enough the first thing Ethan says to me is "Mom, is this a girl tie" I promptly replied "Girls don't wear ties and it's cool for boys to wear pink these days" He didn't seem to have a problem after that. After all, real men wear pink right?

Thanks Evonne...I am so excited for all the family to see these cute masterpieces you have made for my family. Can I hire you for next year?

A Minor Set Back

2009-04-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

Before you get your panties in a ruffle...I can explain...

You may have noticed that I didn't post yesterday. There is good reason as to why. A few weeks ago, we switched our internet service because our other service would only work occasionally and if it did, was super slow. I had called numerous times and had people come to "fix" the problem to no avail. So we switched. When we switched we also switched our phone and cable so we got a complete package deal. Unfortunately there was an outage all day yesterday which meant that I had no internet...no tv...and no phone.

I knew that I had made a promise to blog once a day so I thought that after Patrick got home from work, I'd run across the street to my neighbors house to post something real quick, but that idea quickly came to an end when Steve, my neighbor, came over to ask if my internet, cable and phone were down too. I guess I could have called a friend of mine and had her log into my account and I dictate to her what to write, but let's face it...would you want that friend to be you?

It's dark outside, everyone's asleep, I don't know what time it is because I'm sleeping as well, and I hear the phone ring...Everything is turned back on! So here I am, like a dog with his tail between his legs...begging for your forgiveness and understanding...Rest assured my faithful readers...if this ever happens again (in the month of April), I will personally give you my internet providers phone number and you can prank call them all you want...just don't tell them you're me.

So Lucky...

2009-04-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

I just finished cleaning up 95% of my house. I am debating whether or not to stay awake all night to enjoy it because we all know what happens when four little monkeys who are on Spring Break can do in just a short amount of time.

I was cleaning the toilets and felt an overwhelming amount of gratitude...I am so grateful to my boys, both of them, that they do not pee all over the place and if they do, they know how to clean up after themselves...How did I get so lucky?

Who Done It?

2009-04-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

It is 1939, and we are in Hollywood. A select group of guests have been invited to the posh Bel Air home of producer/director Benny Sahlinsky for a screening of his new multimillion dollar epic, Come With the Rain. Until tonight, Sahlinsky has allowed no one else to see the film. The film began around 9:00pm, but guests arrived earlier for champagne and hors d'oeuvres.

During the film, an unexpected event took place. Just as the film was building to its final scenes, a Mopey Mouse cartoon appeared on the screen. The final reel of the film was missing. A search of the house has turned up nothing. The final reel included the two most important scenes in the movie, and it was the only copy.

Meet Benny Sahlinsky:

Producer/Director of Come with the Rain and primary owner of Mogul Films. Mogul hasn't had a hit since Incident at Owl Creek Ridge two years ago. Benny has bet the farm that this new movie will put Mogul films back on the charts and in the black. Until tonight, Benny and Mogul looked like big winners.

Meet Anna Flagelli:

Steamy, sultry, Italian sexpot with real box office appeal. She handles men like Roy Rogers handles his horse. Sahlinsky signed her to play the settler's beautiful daughter in Come with the Rain. Anna demanded and got top billing. But is she a good actress? Who cares?

Meet Gig Mack:

The He-Man star of over 20 westerns who hasn't had a hit since Incident at Owl Creek Ridge. About his latest film, Variety's banner headline read "Gig's Guns, Gals, and Guts Goes Glug! Glug! Glug!" Mack needs a comeback fast. For Come with the Rain, Gig took a salary cut and second billing, but nobody says he has to be happy about it.

Meet Henrietta Tyler:

The fly in everyone's ointment. President of DIM (Decency in Movies), Miss Tyler is doing everything she can to get Come with the Rain banned, cut, or censored. Somehow, her outrage seems more than merely moral. Anna Flagelli once remarked that Henrietta always dresses like she's between funerals, to which Miss Tyler replied, "Aren't we all, Miss Flagelli, aren't we all?"

Meet Mona Moans:

One of the most vicious gossip columnists in all of Hollywood. There was a time when a stroke of Mona's pen could make or break a career. Her column, Mona Moans, was syndicated in over 300 papers, but then she printed her "Great Garbo Scoop" which turned out to be a great lie. Now Mona Moans can be found in one Hollywood rag and a few tabloids in places like Toledo and Terre Haute. Still, she has her readers - and sources.

Meet Zaluria:

Sahlinsky's personal psychic. About two years ago, the mysterious and alluring Zaluria suddenly appeared on the scene from out of nowhere. She had an important vision about Mogul Films, which she revealed to Sahlinsky. As long as Benny remains a believer, Zaluria stays on the gravy train. She speaks with an unusual accent which seems to fade in and out.

Meet Vern Fleegle:

The best cameraman and cinematographer in the business, when he isn't drinking or chasing women, (which means he's the best about six hours a week). Throughout the shooting of Come with the Rain, for which Sahlinsky hired him, Fleegle has been on his best behavior, for the most part. This is Fleegle's second chance with Mogul Films. He knows he won't get another.

And last but not least...
Meet Woofy:

Errand boy supreme. Everybody loves Woofy, and woofy loves everybody and everything connected with the movies. His job as a gofer for Mogul Films is Woofy's idea of seventh heaven. He goes everywhere and has the keys to everything, but people seldom notice he's around. Eternally cheerful, but not overly bright, Woofy always seems to be humming or whistling an old movie tune.

So who did it?

Woofy recognized Henrietta Tyler from somewhere but couldn't figure out where. Turns out that Henrietta was once a beautiful actress named Tibby La Tour who had a secret affair with Producer Benny Sahlinsky. When Henrietta walked in on Anna Flagelli and Benny sleeping together, Benny kicked her out and told her she was a has been. The scorned and bitter woman left and went on a 3 month drinking and sleeping around binge. One night she was in a terrible car accident that burned a huge portion of her body. The public thought that Tibby had died and Tibby took this chance to re-invent herself and become someone different. She moved to Hollywood and became President of DIM, Decency in Movies. She was personally invited by Benny to screen this movie. Henrietta wouldn't have missed it for the world. She would have done anything to take down Benny Sahlinsky. Was Henrietta the culprit???

Zaluria turned out not to be a real physic but a Private Detective instead investigating Benny and Mogul Films. She had her sources which is where she got the information she provided to Benny to keep him a believer. Was Zaluria the culprit???

Anna Flagelli slept with every man in the room except for Woofy. Woofy was in love with Anna and he thought she loved him too because she would pat him on the head and kiss him on the cheek? She absolutely hated Gig Mack and Vern Fleegle hated her. Was Miss Flagelli the culprit???

Vern Fleegle was bitter about the "break up" of him and Anna. He accused Henrietta of the act in question and said it was because of her scorned heart. He didn't have much else to say except that he disliked Anna Flagelli and that he was the best camera man in the business. Was Vern the culprit?

Gig Mack was accused of being a Gay American Nazi. Turns out that he wasn't gay but that he was in fact a Nazi with branding tattoos of swastikas and crosses on his rear end. He spent most of the night defending his masculinity. Was Gig Mack the culprit???

Mona Moans jumped to the chance to view this film. It could put her back on the map. She held a grudge against Benny for leading her into a column that published that turned out to be a lie. She also would have loved to see Benny fail. Was Mona the culprit???

Woofy was in the production room hours before the guests arrived viewing his movie that Henrietta starred in. He was told not to go in there, but he had the keys and thought it would cause no harm. He let Vern in approximately at 6pm. Was Woofy the culprit???

Benny allowed no one to view this film. He edited it all himself and created a masterpiece to put Mogul films back on the charts. He knew that it would make millions of dollars in sales. He had it insured for 6 million dollars because it was just that good. Was Benny the culprit???

YES!!!

Not only was Benny the culprit but Vern Fleegle was also involved. Apparently Vern Fleegle was too drunk to remember to switch the tapes out during the last few scenes and so they were never filmed. When Benny found out, he staged a few things and had the screening party all as an act so that he could collect on the 6 million dollar insurance policy. Benny had put his last penny into this film and couldn't bare not seeing any money come from it. I guess one thing's for sure...Vern Fleegle won't get a third chance...

We ended the night doing this:

Rock Band...Super Fun...I love date nights...

Cost of Living...

2009-04-04T18:13:00.000-07:00

We've all heard the estimates on what it costs to raise children. I think I may have even posted something about it at one point in time. What we don't hear about very often is how much it costs to raise adults. Patrick and I went to Kohl's with all four children to get some clothes for him and I. Who would have ever thought we would walk out of there with $230 less in our pockets? I need to learn to sew.

Day Three...

2009-04-03T20:08:00.000-07:00

I woke up a tad bit early this morning to create another artful masterpiece. This time being on Raya and Malia's hair. It was the annual Crazy Hair Day at school and my children were totally down with participating...

On another note...when you go to blockbuster to rent a Wii game, make sure you have all the equipment it says you need before you rent it because they won't let you exchange it because you were too dumb to look on the back...I just basically gave them $10 bucks tonight...Yay for dumb people!!! Somebody has got to keep the economy going...

Commitments

2009-04-02T20:21:00.001-07:00

Committing myself to too many things is my specialty. I don't know what I would do ~~except surf facebook all day~~ if I didn't have more than enough stuff on my plate to start and/or finish...I think my biggest problem is that I WANT to do all these things... If I had to choose a headline that explained my life right now it would be: ~~Mother of Four Enters Mental Institution~~... "So Many Things...So Little Time" As I check each project off my list, I add a new one. The latest project I've created for myself is...Drum roll Please...Posting to this blog every day this month. Rest assured my faithful blog followers, I am committed, however, don't be surprised if you read a post that has much to do about nothing...

April Fool's

2009-04-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

It's April Fool's Day today...I tried to make people believe that I was pregnant again, but only a few select people were dumb enough to believe it...everyone else saw right through me. I've lost my convincing touch. I used to be able to make people believe anything. I once got a few co-workers of mine to believe that I was a topless singer...I had to tell them that I really wasn't for rumor sake...so I've lost my touch, or maybe I just didn't put in the right amount of effort...

Patrick came home with these today:

Inside the card it said "I'm a FOOL in love with you...Happy April Fool's Day"

I'm still wondering if it's a joke....

Ok, I know it's not. That was really thoughtful of him...

Everything and the Kitchen Sink

2009-03-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

It was only recently that I learned what "Everything and the Kitchen Sink" meant. I was a judge at our church's annual Chili Cook-off. One of the categories I was judging was called "Kitchen Sink"... I had no idea how to judge that category so I sucked up my pride and asked what "Kitchen Sink" meant. I was informed that it basically meant a whole bunch of random ingredients thrown together.

Now that you know the meaning behind my blog title, you can appreciate the random stories from my life these past few months.

I've Got Talent Yes I Do...

Raya and Malia participated in their school's Variety/Talent Show. I was so looking forward to my girls being gone an extra hour three days a week for rehearsal, but it didn't happen that way. You see, their act required some "special lighting" and being the devoted mommy I am, I had to figure it out and make sure it worked during rehearsals. Unfortunately it took every rehearsal for me to get it just right. I was also asked to video tape the night performance and sell DVD's to the parents. It proved to be a little bit more difficult than I anticipated, but I was able to make a fairly decent profit doing so (Yay me!). Below you can view Raya and Malia in all their Variety Show Glory...

A Year Remembered...again...

I have been doing the Elementary school's yearbook for the past three years. I enjoy doing it, but at the same time, it is A LOT of work. It really takes up 3 months of my year. I have another lady who helps me out quite a bit, but when it comes to designing and creating the actual book, it falls on me. I am a self proclaimed perfectionist when it comes to my art so you can only imagine how many times I did something for this book, only to re-do it time and time again. Thank goodness for deadlines. I never thought that I would say that, but I am truly grateful for the deadline given to me for this project. The process of creating a yearbook starts before school even begins. For those of you who don't have children in school or your children don't go to school around here, we start school in August. Yes August! Even though I don't get down and busy on the yearbook until after the holidays, I am still brainstorming and submitting ideas for this. The deadline given to us was March 30th. That's tomorrow. I finished the book last week. What a weight off my shoulders. I am so glad it is done! The theme this year is "We Spy Excellence"...Let's just say that I rocked it and I'm not going to be humble about it. I made this book interactive on each page and totally rocked the cover...Check it out...

(You are looking at the front and the back of the cover...it will be folded in half.)

Carly Walks!

Ok, so I would have to go and get my calender to check the actual date that Carly started walking and let's face it, it's Sunday and I feel like being lazy, so I won't tell you the actual date, but I will tell you that she was almost 14 months old (which is my latest walker). It's such a bitter sweet feeling. My baby is growing up and we won't get to experience these stages again. One thing is for sure, I am going to miss her alligator crawl.

Carly has gotten some more teeth, she still climbs on everything including my night stand and the fire place. She loves playing outside and has scrapped up knees to show it. Her hair is curling up in the back but straight on top (a curse given to her from her momma), her language is changing but she still only says two things ("dada" and "uh oh"). She loves to draw and loves to play with her doll house baby. She loves to jump...jump on the bed, jump on the ground and jump on the trampoline. She loves to throw everything, and last but not least, she loves to dance! I turn on music and the girl shakes her bootie (and her head but I think that's more to get herself dizzy than anything else).

California law states that a child must be one AND 20 lbs. for them to be forward facing in a car seat. All my girls had to wait until they were 15 months because they just couldn't get up to 20 lbs. until then...I weighed Carly on my bathroom scale last week and it said that she was 20 lbs. exactly so I went and got the convertable car seat out, cleaned it up, and put her forward facing. A couple days ago, we made a trip to the doctor only to find out that my bathroom scale lies. (I knew it! I don't weigh as much as it said I did...conspiracy I tell you) She weighed in at a little over 17 lbs. She's the size of most 9 month olds...I came home and put her infant car seat back in the car. It's ok, it keeps her a baby longer but I love watching her grow and master all these new things and because she is our last, it is a constant reminder that they are only young for a very short amount of time...Children grow up too quickly. The following is video of Carly's first steps:

Let the Productions Begin...

I've been blessed to have been given many opportunities at the girls' school to film some of the plays that are being produced their. I have done 3 different teachers last year and have and will be doing them again this year. It has proved to be worth the money in the past and hopefully will again this year. The next three months will be filled with Mrs. Booth's THERE'S A RUMPUS IN THE RAINFOREST, Mrs. Johnson's STONE SOUP, and Mrs. Rugg's...well, I'm not sure yet because the students are actually still writing it. I enjoy creating the covers and labels for the DVD's and doing extra things like Soundtracks and Video Montage's...I am so grateful that I have the ability to do these things, make money from it, and still stay home with the kiddos...

Photography...

I have mentioned time and time again that I am not a professional photographer. I enjoy it, but honestly don't think that I would ever want to go into business doing it. With that being said, I enjoy it enough and people think that I am good enough that they have asked for me to do some pictures of their children, grandchildren, and **GASP** Weddings! Imagine the pressure one can be under photographing a wedding when they didn't go to school for the right lighting and such...There are no re-takes! I was able to photograph Patrick's cousin's wedding a few weeks ago and since she got married on one day and then had her reception the next day, I was able to print a few pictures so she could display them at her reception. Imagine my surprise when the lady at photo counter asked to see the copyright release. All I could do was laugh...Me, good enough that you need to see a copyright release...nahhh! So I had to sign a release form so that the "real" photographer couldn't sue them...Apparently this happened with this couple's engagement pictures I took as well. Jessica told me that the photo center asked for a copyright release as well. I think I am going to have to write a note that says something like "To whom it may concern. It has come to my attention that I am a good enough photographer that whomever is printing these photos needs a copyright release from me so that they can pick up the photos ordered without being harassed. I, Rachael Durling, am the taker of these photos and give permission to Jessica, her husband, her mother, her father, her in-laws, her grandparents, her brothers and sisters, her dog, her cat, and even the mouse living outside their house permission to print these photos however and as many as they so please...Seriously..."

Meet Titus...

No, he is NOT our dog, but I named him. My dad brought him home from the pound. He asked the kids what they thought he should name him. Ethan said Sparkle, I said Titus...I immediately texted all my sibling's to tell them that dad had got a new dog and to call him and tell him to name him Titus. One after the other they called my dad saying "I heard you got a new dog and his name is Titus"...The dog is now named Titus. He is a very good dog coming from the pound. He rarely barks and is very tolerant of the kids especially Carly who enjoys stepping on his tail and hitting him on his back (she's really trying to pet him). The best part about Titus is having the luxury of an animal for the kids, but not having to take care of it...

Sickness...

We are currently fighting bronchitis here in the Durling household. I got it first only to pass it along to Carly and then onto Patrick. Patrick has been down all week with it. Carly has also been fighting a double ear infection...Oh what fun it is to take care of a sick family when you yourself is also sick...We are at the tail end of it (cross my fingers). Here's to hoping Malia, Raya and Ethan don't get it now...

Surprises...

The other day I was in the office working when all of a sudden I heard the vacuum cleaner going. The girls were at school and Carly was sleeping...It could have only been Ethan. I went out to the living room to see what was going on and there I found my sweet son vacuuming the living room after he had cleaned it entirely including folding blankets and putting them away...It is surprises like these that help me to know that I am doing a good job raising my kids.

Tests...

I got a letter last month that told me that Malia had taken a test that she passed which titled her as "Gifted and Talented" I already knew that but now the letter made it official :-)...First graders take this test to qualify them for the GATE program. If they pass this test, they then take the SAT10 test to see if they qualify for Rapid Learner (a curriculum accelerated program within their grade). Malia just finished three days of testing and we should get the results soon. If she gets into the Rapid Learner program, she will be basically learning one grade ahead. She will also get many other opportunities that traditional second graders don't get including learning Spanish...We'll see what happens in the next few months.

Spring Cleaning...

My oh my...wherever do I begin...yesterday, Patrick and I spend 10.5 hours cleaning the garage. We have "Bulky Trash Pick-Up Day" on Tuesday and thought it was time to get rid of the broken toilet, broken water heater, old high chair and some other big items we had stored in our garage...We also are saying goodbye to our old couches that we've had for 5.5 years now. They've had a good life, but it is time to say good-bye. Saying goodbye to an old couch means I got to say Hello to a new one...A BRAND NEW one...this is the first time in our married life that we have had a brand new, out of the cardboard and plastic factory wrapped box, no other random people's ooooie goooie bodily stuff on it, couch...We have a new rule in our house...No stinky, dirty feet or food allowed near the couch...so far, so good. I also found treasures in the garage...My grandfather's life history. His actual hand written life history..not the photocopy that I've seen a few times. I found my grandfather's flag that was draped over his coffin at his funeral and...all of my sibling's school stuff including birthday cards given and other mementos my mother kept. I found things that I drew when I was in the same grades my kids are in...I am going to have a hay day going through all that stuff and putting them into the computer so that I can make some cool Christmas gifts for my siblings...

Twilight...

Ok, so I am admitting to having Obsessive Cullen Disorder...I mean really...who else goes out and buys the DVD the day it comes out and watches it ten times in one week after blogging about how they hated it...I'm not a psychiatrist, but I don't need to be one to know that I am completely addicted...*sigh*

Wiinitus...

We got a Wii..No, it's more like...WE GOT A WII...my husband rocks...and is trying very hard not to get mad because he can't beat me in Tennis...hence, the wiinitus...my wrist HURTS...but it's worth it seeing Patrick bite his tongue and try his hardest not to throw the remote when I kick his butt...The week after we got the Wii...my sweet husband bought me the WiiFit...Oh nelly...another battle began with the headbutting soccer balls...

Lastly, but surely not least...

A Reliable Internet Connection...

I could use the excuse that our Internet really had been sucking and worked whenever it wanted to for the reason I haven't been blogging, and truthfully, it was about 5% why I haven't blogged lately. I wasn't planning on posting anything about switching our Internet connection over because our old connection really sucked, but after uploading the video and all the pictures to this post, I couldn't help but say something...What a difference...It was super fast...which is how I need things to roll these days...

So there you have it, Everything and the Kitchen Sink...Life is hectic but good. Things are getting put back to normal slowly, but they are coming along. I know that my posts have been few and far between, but I am dedicated...In fact..I think I am going to do something that I saw on my cousin in law's blog at one point...I am going to make a goal to post something every day for the month of April... so check back...until then...peace out!

Blogging Withdrawels

2009-03-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

I know that you are super excited to see a different post from me because you are having serious Rachael withdrawals...I hate to bring you down from your high, but this post is to just let you know that 1. I'm still alive. and 2. I'm having withdrawals too. Blogging hasn't been far from my mind, but more important things are showing their silly faces and it keeps being pushed further and further back. I promise I'll return shortly...My life is slowly turning back to normal...in the meantime, know that I haven't forgotten about you...I'll be back soon :-)

Something to Post

2009-03-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

I feel like I need to post something. Quite frankly it's because I am a tad bit embarrassed of my previous post. I mean, is it really blog worthy? I guess to some people it is, but to me, I honestly don't know why I wasted my time.

I actually have quite a few things to blog about I just haven't had a chance to really sit down and do it the way that I want to. I guess I should just for warn you that there will be another lengthy post coming up soon.

I am a pretty observant person. I am always constantly watching and looking and possibly staring. I get to see all sorts of stuff. I was walking in to the church the other night and this is what caught my eye...

I guess I am just drawn to anything "Cullen" these days. I immediately thought that I have got to get me one of those, but then I thought about it a little and realized that I actually don't drive like a Cullen and should probably just put it on Patrick's car...without him knowing...

Bachelor

2009-03-03T08:45:00.000-08:00

FIRST, let me state that I am not a watcher of the Bachelor AND that I have not watched one episode of this season. I almost feel silly writing a post about this show because I do not {heart} it...(sorry Evonne). I actually haven't watched much TV lately anyway including my all time favorite show SURVIVOR (I've got it on Demand waiting patiently for my arrival). Anyway, I get most of my TV watching through a little online video called PRIMETIME IN NO TIME... With it, I don't need to watch any TV because it gives me all the juicy details without all the in between boring "ring shopping" clips. All I can say is...Shame on Deanna (YES, I know who she is and NO, I didn't watch that episode of the bachelorette). I was embarrassed for her! Good for Melissa...she totally stuck up for her self. I wish she would have just said what she really felt..."I HATE YOU!!" And for the girl who gets her guy in the end...I'll be waiting for the break-up to be announced tomorrow on PRIMETIME IN NO TIME...

Finally...After 12 Years!!!

2009-03-02T09:57:00.000-08:00

I am going to be shooting a wedding in less than two weeks. I was at my computer this morning finalizing an email to the bride when Patrick walks in and asks if I was planning on cleaning the house today. I ignored him, like I usually do when comments like that are made. A little bit later, we had the following conversation:

Patrick: "When I get home I expect the house to be clean."

Rachael: "I expect you not to come home until the house is clean."

Patrick: "What are you doing?"

Rachael: "I'm reading my blog."

Patrick: (A line that I won't type because it's slightly inappropriate)

Rachael: "I'm reading an old post of mine, it's good to go back and remember."

Patrick: "I was just joking about the house cleaning comments....I'm too scared of you to be serious."

HA! I think he's finally learned after all these years to never invade in my work (unless asked specifically to)...I don't go to his job and tell him what to do nor do I go to his workspace, make a mess, and expect him to clean it up. As you can tell by our conversation above, I knew he was joking because you would have read an argument instead of a joke...I guess after 12 years, I have finally learned not to take everything he says too seriously.

So now I'm off to clean the kitchen and finish up laundry...After all, he may still be taking my comments seriously and I do want my husband to come home tonight!

Another Claim to Fame

2009-02-22T23:17:00.000-08:00

This is Aaron Gryder...

he is one of the Jockey's that is featured on Animal Planets new reality show titled "Jockeys". Aaron was my next door neighbor for a long time during my childhood. His older brother Jason and him used to babysit me. How's that for a claim to fame?

My Babysitter

2009-02-20T00:03:00.000-08:00

This is my babysitter:

She's twelve years old and she ROCKS! Due to the high demand of awesome babysitters and my need to keep her "MY" babysitter, I will call her "Karina". I met "Karina" and her family when I filmed her play at the elementary school my kids go to. Patrick and I took her to Sunsplash with our family over the summer which made that day so much more enjoyable. She was "learning" how to babysit and her mom offered to pay half of her earnings (which I declined).

I hadn't used "Karina" since that Sunsplash trip until this past week. I've used her three this week. I tried to pay her $30 for the first night. She told me she only charges $1 an hour...I laughed. I would never underpay my babysitters. Later that night, after I dropped her off at home, I was checking my email and to my surprise I opened an email from her that said:

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Durling,

Thank you so much for letting me babysit tonight. It was really fun! You paid me way to much! (smiley face added here) My mom agrees with me! Thank you again. I would love to babysit really soon!

Sincerely,

"Karina"

P.S. All the kids were really good and Carly is so cute!!"

We had her babysit for us on Valentines Day. She had prepared a valentine chart that the kids got to put stickers on if they were being good. If they filled it up, they got a prize. She also had prepared a craft for them as well (cute valentines to Patrick and I)...

She turns off the T.V. and plays with my kids. She has taught Ethan some pre-kindergarten things and every time Ethan sees the letter "K" he says "Karina, starts with K"....Unfortunately, "Karina" is a busy girl. She dances 4 hours a day, three times a week, and is on a traveling soccer team so she is going to be harder to get here, but one thing is for sure...she is going to be the first babysitter I call and NO, you cannot have her name or number, so don't even ask! (place smiley face here).

Seriously???

2009-02-19T23:21:00.001-08:00

I am about ready to purchase myself a "No Soliciting" sign for my front door. I understand that people have got to make a living, but I am just NOT interested. I've learned to just hang up on telemarketers and not feel bad about it, but when they come to my door, I am polite, mostly because I would rather not have my car keyed or my house egged and some because it's hard to shut a door in someones face.

The doorbell rings tonight while I am making dinner (so convenient), and I decide to answer it. Two young men, clipboard in hand, introducing themselves before I even fully open the door. They told me they were trying to get people to take a survey so that they can "better our community". Nice young men, I'll give them that. Before they began, I specifically asked "This is just a survey, you aren't going to ask me to buy anything right?" They assured me that it was just a survey. The questions began..."Do you or anyone you know have high blood pressure? Would you or anyone you know benefit from non-medication anti-depression seminar? Do you or anyone you know smoke?" etc. etc. etc. Then I started getting "Do you believe what the bible says about natural disasters and wars as a sign of the last days? Would you or anyone you know be interested in a bible study group?" etc. etc. etc. Then they handed me a pamphlet and asked if they could come back with other "colleagues" to discuss it. I told them no thanks and that I was very happy with my religion and that it satisfied my spiritual needs. I told them that I would take their pamphlet and look over it though. They were kind and non-pushy and then left.

Here's where I have the problem. Most religions, if not all, teach about being honest. These two young men deceived me from the beginning so that they could hand me a religious pamphlet and try to get me to have some kind of bible study with them. Maybe they felt that they were being honest with me because they could justify the "better our community" line by getting my neighbors and I to join their church. They very well could have some kind of heart disease and non-medication depression classes that they offer, but seriously...was I not deceived at the beginning? I've had Jehovah Witnesses at my door who don't come out and say that they are actually Jehovah Witnesses, but they do come out with their bibles in hand asking to share scripture with me. The Mormon missionaries, when they knock on doors, the first thing they say is "Hi, I'm Elder (place name here) from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints". I'm having a real hard time wrapping my head around a religion that will deceive people from the beginning to get them to listen. Thank goodness I live in a free country where I can choose to be one religion or another. Thank you to our American Soldiers for that freedom and thank you to the person who came up with the clever "no soliciting" sign that I will be purchasing tomorrow to hang on my front door.

Mom, Look What I Did!!!

2009-02-14T22:06:00.000-08:00

I've probably mentioned before that we have a budding photographer living in our household. He's four years old. I honestly have to hide the camera from him or I am spending a lot of time deleting pictures. Tonight has been one of those nights. I was actually trying to upload some pictures that I took for another post, but decided to post this instead. My other post will have to wait.

I was preparing to delete a massive amount of pictures, but then decided to look at a few of them. I was truly surprised at the greatness of these shots. I know Ethan wasn't working the angle's or waiting for the light to be just right, but the shots screamed ART to me...Art for a four year old.

Of course when I saw the above picture, the one of my one year old who still isn't quite walking yet, trying to stand and balance on top of a toy with wheels on a hard wood floor, I about died. Later, I witnessed it first hand. I debated whether or not to get her down, or, grab the camera...I chose to grab the camera and document how smart she is...she wanted one of the books off the shelf. So she figured out how to get it, but she needed a little bit more height and climbed up the onto the handle bars...Geniuses my children are...simple geniuses!

**Disclaimer** No children were hurt during the production of these photographs. A CPS phone call is not required or preferred. Thank you.

Valentine's Day Humor

2009-02-14T14:07:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Day, I bought some of those traditional candy hearts with writing on them for the three older kids. Malia decided to open hers up and put them all in order going through each one and reading what they said. The following is the exact conversation between Malia, myself, and Ethan.

Malia: XOXOXO, What does that mean?

Me: It means Hugs and Kisses, do you want to give that one to your boyfriend?

Malia: I don't have a boyfriend.

Me: Do you want a boyfriend someday?

Malia: What kind of question is that?

Me: I'm just wondering if you want to have a boyfriend and get married someday?

Malia: Yes

Ethan: Malia, I'm your boyfriend...

Got to love that childhood innocence. Hope your day is filled with LOVE...and in the words of my cute Ethan...HAPPY HOLIDAYS...Yes, he says that for all "Holidays"

A Lesson Learned

2009-02-08T21:49:00.000-08:00

I had a meeting after church today so Patrick had to take all four kids home, feed them, and put Carly down for a nap. When I got home, the door was locked. I knocked, no one answered. I debated whether or not to ring the doorbell. I didn't want to wake the baby so I decided to search in my bottomless bag for my keys. I didn't have the patience to find them so I rang the doorbell. Again, no one answered. I was annoyed now. I knew Patrick was probably sleeping but I didn't understand why the three older kids weren't running to the door and opening it without knowing who it is because they seem to do that while I am in the middle of changing a poopy diaper and it's, of course, a sales person. Anyway, I decided to walk around to the back in hopes that one of the 3 other doors would be unlocked. I heard the girls outside playing. Phew...at least I wasn't locked out! As I rounded the corner I see my little monkey girl Malia sitting on top of a beam as high as our roof that was for an over hang for our porch. This girl has made her way on my roof many of times and now she is progressing to the beams that are over cement??? Sadly, I was much to frustrated about being locked out, that I walked past her and said with a laugh "Malia get down". She did. I got into the house and sure enough, Patrick was asleep on the couch. He hadn't heard the knock or the doorbell so he must have been really out of it. I woke him up with an irritated voice and told him that Malia was basically on the roof. Later, after dinner, I explained to him exactly what had happened, beginning with the most irritating part (no one answering the door) and then onto Malia being on the beam. "Remind me never to get mad at you when you fall asleep with the kids running around." Patrick said. "ya, and that happens when? Ummmm, NEVER!" Lesson learned? I hope so. At least Malia is still in one piece!

Confessions of a TWILIGHT Addict...

2009-02-01T20:42:00.000-08:00

**WARNING**
This post consists of my TWILIGHT conversion and my general thoughts and comparisons of the book versus the movie. It is rather lengthy, but it is good. Grab some popcorn and a drink because this post just might be better than TWILIGHT the movie.

My life has been consumed with VAMPIRES and WEREWOLVES and a clumsy human girl who longs to become a "vegetarian blood sucker" like her boyfriend, for the past few weeks. I eat, sleep, and breath in this fantasy world created by Stephenie Meyer almost all day and night. I do believe that it could actually become unhealthy, yet, in a weird way, I'm okay with that. I've often thought, How can one be obsessed with a book series? I now know.

I am not an avid reader. I prefer video editing and paper crafts over it. It was almost a year ago when I first heard about this VAMPIRE book called TWILIGHT. A friend of mine came to pick her daughter up from a birthday party at my house and beamed as she told me about this story of a human girl named Bella falling in love with a VAMPIRE. There was so much to be told and she did so with a huge smile on her face. She told me about the author's website and how I needed to go on it and read passages of the NEW book BREAKING DAWN that was coming out. She even spelled out the website so I would get it right. W-W-W-.S-T-E-P-H-E-N-I-E-M-E-Y-E-R.C-O-M. I listened like a good friend and put my "uh huh's" and "oh's" in the very few open spaces during our one sided conversation. I had no intentions of picking up the book nor go to a website to tell me about the book. Let's face it, I felt like I got all the information I needed during this conversation with my friend and I still wasn't interested.

Over the course of a year, I would stumble upon a few people who had to give me their two cents about this great book. AND THEN, the date release of the actual movie TWILIGHT was announced. All I heard was "I can't wait for Twilight" and "Do you want to go to the midnight showing"...Uhhh NO! I don't care! Give me a break people! Ok, so I wasn't that rude, but I was a little miffed because Harry Potter was supposed to be coming to theatres and when the date got pushed back almost a year, TWILIGHT took it's place. I was a little bitter even though I knew it wasn't TWILIGHT'S fault.

For awhile I endured all this VAMPIRE hype, and I started to become slightly intrigued with this whole TWILIGHT phenomenon. Was it really that good? Are people really reading all four books in a weeks time?

Fast forward a few more months...I got a phone call from my bestest friend in the world. She lives in good ol' Salt Lake City, and like me, she's not much of a reader. In fact, she recently confessed to me that she can't remember EVER reading a book from start to finish. Her and I relate obviously well in this manner. She wanted help with her myspace page. She was trying to change her background to a TWILIGHT themed one. I laughed! She must of thought that the movie was good, I thought. And then I got an ear full from her about how she read all the books and that even her HUSBAND picked up the books and read all of them in a weeks time. Huh? Wait! Did she just tell me that she read not only one book but four? Interesting! Maybe I need to check into this book. It has to be somewhat good if Holly's reading it. I got online to see if my local library had a copy of it. They did. They had an amazing 84 copies of it! I would be the 584th person in line for one of those copies. Hmmm, I guess I will have to wait.

My sister came to visit Christmas week. We decided to make a late night trip to Wal-mart minus husbands and my kids. She needed a heater for her bathroom and I needed milk for the kids. We walked around talking about whatever and found ourselves in the book section. A place that I've rarely visited. All those Fabio covered romance novels are a good reason why I don't stop. TWILIGHT, NEW MOON, ECLIPSE, BREAKING DAWN were in three different areas of this section. I pointed it out to my sister and told of my "crazy obsessed friend" encounters regarding this book. She bought two copies, one for her and one for me.

Christmas Eve came and the family and I headed up to visit Patrick's side of the family. We made a quick stop at Grandma Olson's place where we met up with Patrick's cousin Tim. Tim is a stay at home dad and a professional mountain biker. His wife Jeni is an anesthesiologist. They both read the books. Tim read all four in four days. He couldn't stop telling me about the book. I was a tad bit disturbed that I was having this conversation with a male but as I look back, that was my turning point. That conversation with Tim and Jeni was when I decided that I would delve into this crazy world of VAMPIRES and WEREWOLVES. The next day, Christmas day, I picked up TWILIGHT.

It took me a while to get through TWILIGHT. I couldn't understand how this book was an addiction to so many people. Was I missing something? Was it just not my cup of tea? I made numerous jokes about my readings on my blog and on facebook. It seemed that I wasn't the only one who just couldn't "get into it". With many comments of "hang in there" and "the last two hundred pages are the best", I decided I would continue reading, but still wondered how any one could sit and read this entire book in a day when it has taken me a month to get through it. It wasn't THAT good...

Page 300... Two hundred pages left, and all I can say is, my friends were RIGHT! I read those last two hundred pages in all my spare time. My sister let me borrow NEW MOON because she had already blown through it and was heading off to Wal-mart to purchase ECLIPSE and BREAKING DAWN. It took me 3 days to get through NEW MOON. I couldn't get the story out of my head. It consumed me. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking it. My children were neglected, fending for themselves, and my house, well, it was neglected also. Laundry wasn't getting done and neither was my husband. My world consisted of Edward, Bella, Jacob, and the Volturi. I had to hurry and fly to Italy to rescue my LOVE from a crazy death by VAMPIRE ROYALTY...I WAS BELLA!

Carly was playing by the fire place. I am not exactly sure what happened, but I heard the guard fall down and I instantly knew that it had fallen on top of her. She let out a bloody scream (no pun intended) and after I picked her up and held her, I decided I should assess the damage. BLOOD filled her entire mouth. I was in shock. Patrick wasn't home and I almost didn't know what to do. She wouldn't let me touch her mouth and I was afraid to do anything that might make whatever injury she had worse. Eventually it stopped bleeding and she had a fat lip. Would VAMPIRES waste their time feeding from a baby or would they move on to bigger and better things? I laughed at my thoughts and realized then, that this was what all those TWILIGHT addicts were talking about. I was officially obsessed.

Facebook is a wonderful place to visit. I enjoy reading every one's status updates, I enjoy chatting with long lost friends, and I even enjoy the friendly arguments made back and forth. A woman I met through Malia's schooling recently found me on facebook. We've been chatting it up. She too, is a huge TWILIGHT fan. She introduced me to MIDNIGHT SUN. Stephenie Meyer, creator of this obsessive VAMPIRE world, was in the process of writing Edward's story of TWILIGHT. She handed a handful of copies out to people who she thought could be trusted. I am guessing so that they could critique it. Somehow, it got onto the Internet and spread like wild fire. She wasn't finished with the book and was extremely upset about the situation. She decided not to finish the book, but she also knew that TWILIGHT obsessed fans would want to get a hold of Edward's story, even illegally if they had to, so she put it on her website for the world to read. It is the same story, yet strangely different. I enjoyed it almost better than TWILIGHT itself and hope that one day, the anger will diminish in Stepheni's heart and she will finish it for me and other obsessed fans.

I know this post is long, but it's about to get longer...

During my NEW MOON reading's while at the gym, I ran into a girlfriend who happened to be reading NEW MOON as well and even though I was almost out of breath, I enjoyed exchanging a few thoughts about the book with her. I told her that I hadn't seen the movie yet and that I was going to drag Patrick with me sometime real soon. She told me not to and that it was a MAJOR chick flick...I drug my husband there anyway. He was probably one of 5 guys in the theatre, but we all make sacrifices for our spouses don't we? His would only last two hours long...

I was so excited to see this movie. I knew for a fact that it wasn't going to be as good as the book. That's how it always is right? I prepared myself mentally before seeing the movie, not to get my hopes up. I was still excited!

SHOCKED!!! The movie was fairly true to the book. I will give them credit there, but the casting was ALL WRONG! How could they screw this up? I am not an expert when it comes to casting for films, but my vision of the characters did not match up to the ones in the movie. Maybe it's just me. Maybe MY TWILIGHT world was not envisioned correctly. Either way, it threw me off and I couldn't keep the characters straight while watching the film. Not only that but I could barely watch Bella with all her twitching...I was annoyed. Was I missing the deep love they had for each other? There was no chemistry between the two. It was almost painful to watch the two together, yet in a strange weird way, maybe that was how it was supposed to be. The love that the two characters have for each other in the book is mostly mental and barely physical due to the fact that Edward would have eaten her the first day he met her if it hadn't been for a classroom full of students in biology. So maybe it was supposed to be that way. I am going to let this movie slide and see where NEW MOON goes. My one suggestion to the directors...Put some money into it okay? PLEASE! I couldn't hold back a laugh when Edward seem to be getting pulled up a tree with a wire rather than climbing one...

So where does this leave me? Well, it leaves me to MY TWILIGHT world. As a self proclaimed obsessed fan, I have decided to cast my own characters for TWILIGHT and without further ado...The cast of Rachael Durling's TWILIGHT world...

Carlisle and Esme

Rosalie and Emmett

Alice and Jasper

Jessica and Angela

Mike and Tyler

Laurant, James and Victoria

and finally...Edward and Bella.

Who wouldn't have chemistry with Edward if he looked like that?

Maybe I got this all wrong, or maybe I'm a genius who needs to get paid for my visions. Hmmmmm, any takers?

Football is NOT Just for the Young...

2009-01-25T21:23:00.000-08:00

Ever since I can remember, my dad has loved the game of football. I remember as a young girl heading all over the state to watch my dad play the game he loved so much. He was good. He was strong. He LOVED the game. As I grew older, I still traveled the state watching him play. He reached the Semi-Pro league many many years ago. As I have grown into an adult, I have only watched a handful of of my dads games...You see, he has retired about 10 different times and only plays spiratically now. I will never understand what draws people to that sport. The sound of helmets crunching together alone is enough for me to wince in pain, but there's my dad, who can't seem to get enough.

Yesterday I was able to bring my family to another one of those spiratic games my dad can't seem to get away from. It brought back so many memories from my childhood. This time I was able to get up close and personal with all the players. I was down on the field taking picture of what could be my dad's last game (so he says). Most of the team was made up of young men ranging from 18-30 years old and then there were a few other players that were...well...not in their 20's, or 30's, or even in their 40's...These men were in their 50's pushing 60 years old.

(This is the "Over 50" crowd some who have been playing football with eachother for over 20 years! My dad...number 44, but we all know he is really #45, they must have been out of that number when issuing jersey's)

The announcer kept joking about the "ancient" players on the field and made one last final joke about "no one getting hurt". This was true. Everyone was glad that an ambulance didn't have to be called, but that doesn't mean no one got hurt.

(I know this isn't the most flatering picture of a strapping young football player, but I got to see interesting things like this ALL day)

(This was the least of my dad's problems...A possible broken rib later...this really could be his last game)

I enjoyed watching my dad play. I enjoyed taking pictures of the game. I enjoyed sharing a part of my childhood with my children. As my dad gets older, I can see the changes he is making both internally and externally. He is not the spunky, athletic, go to guy I remember as a child. He is turning into an old man, a grandpa...a grandpa with football running through his veins.

(The guys running next to my dad is probably there to just protect him so he doesn't get hurt...It's that silent cause called "Keep Grandpa Safe while on the football field :-)

To My Brother

2009-01-23T18:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday...to my littlest brother. I love you so much Lil' B.

Resolutions Are for the Weak...That Would Be Me!

2009-01-23T15:43:00.001-08:00

I know, I know...I'm late! But you know what they say...It's never too late to...(fill in blank here). I'm not big on setting the ever so trendy "New Year's Resolutions"...I don't even remember the last time I did set them or if I ever have set them before...

I've been a bit stressed out lately. I don't stress easily. It takes a lot, but I have felt deadlines for things that I need to get done weigh upon me even more so these past few months than ever before. I've been thinking a lot about setting some goals for the year so I am finally going to put it down on paper...or at least down on my blog for all to read. So here goes...wish me luck!

1. Finish the Twilight series...I am not a big reader. I actually don't ever read (books that is), and even though I haven't fallen madly in love with Twilight the book, I have fallen in love with Edward the vampire, therefore, my dreamy fantasies of love with a vampire will continue if only through a beautiful human named Bella.

2. Read my scriptures everyday...starting today...even if only for one short scripture...Again, I am not a big reader of books, so this will challenge me, but I know I will be blessed for my efforts.

3. Exercise...3 to 4 times a week...even if it's walking to the school to get the girls.

4. Focus on the important things in my life like my husband and children and even my sibling's. Nothing else really matters, not the school yearbook, not all the other projects that seem to consume my life, including...dare I say, BLOGGING...

5. Say No...not only to drugs (Nancy Reagan knew what she was talking about when she coined the phrase "Just Say No"), but to people asking me to do things. That doesn't mean I will say no all the time or that I won't offer to do things for people. It just means that I seem to always say yes to everything, leaving no time for anything.

6. Not feel guilty for not keeping my New Year's Resolutions...even though I am fully committed to my resolutions and will do my best to keep them, I will not feel guilty for only exercising one or two days a week, or not picking up my Twilight book in a month, or saying yes (not to drugs but to people) and even blogging when I have too many other things to do.

I am committed my friends. How empowering one can get when they accomplish things that they set out to do...Time to dust off my scriptures and turn off the computer because 2009...here I come...I know, I'm a bit late, but 2009 is MINE!

Kansas City Shout-out

2009-01-20T19:36:00.000-08:00

I have a faithful reader around Kansas City...Would love to know who you are and thank you for reading my blog. Go ahead...don't be shy...leave a comment!

Little Baby Sweet and Small...

2009-01-18T21:53:00.000-08:00

Rowan was born 4 weeks early. Technically she should still be in her mommy's tummy but instead she was at my house today with her super tired (as should be) mama so that I could take pictures of her. Here are some pictures that I've worked on...I'm loving the black and white with hints of pink...What do you think?

American Idol

2009-01-15T13:01:00.000-08:00

I started to watch American Idol the other night. I always enjoy the first few shows where they show all the "rejects" and we get a laugh at their expense. I always wonder if they are really that bad and know it or if they are seriously tone deaf. I could barely watch it this time around. I seriously was having issues with the whole show, so I really didn't watch it that much and totally forgot to watch it last night. Am I missing something?

What most of you may not know, is that the show (as with probably 100% of shows on TV these days) are not what they seem to be. They make you believe one thing when in actuality something completely different is going on...How do I know this you may ask?

4 seasons ago, I was here:

Lovely hair...I know!

I met this guy:

Our buddy John...He cut us off driving into the
Cow Palace. License plate...UTAH...good ol' Mormon
boy who I still am trying to hook up with my niece

and these guys:

Ummmm, well...you know...it was San Francisco

I stood in this:

Not as many people that you see on TV hah? Truth is, only half of
the Cow Palace was occupied with American Idol hopefuls.

to get one of these:

Yes, I am wearing super cool 80's hair rollers. I did make sure they
were out of my hair (unlike some people) when I stood in line!

I brought my moral support:

My friend Tammy who should already be famous because she's met
so many fameous people already...I want to be like her when I grow up!

and got up at the butt crack of dawn to do this:

This is an official American Idol Photograph I got off of their website. Please
excuse my lack of knowledge in fashion because I certainitly thought I looked
cool ,but as you can see...I was sadly mistaken.

AND I didn't even once see him:

or him:

or even her:

You see, TV makes you believe it's all happening in that moment, but my friends, it's not. And although I would love to go into details about the whole process, I think I signed my life away when I auditioned that fateful day. I realized two things during that process, 1.) I don't ever want to be on TV and 2.) My career as a Domestic Engineer, is the best job EVER! Besides my kids think I rock...

and that's all that matters!

2009-01-13T21:04:00.001-08:00

"Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for this day. Thank you for mommy's birthday. Please bless me that I can be gooder. Please keep me safe. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen" ~Malia's prayer tonight

"Excuse me mom, can I watch Scooby Doo" I shake my head no and say "It's bedtime" Before I know it, little hands are wrapped around my face forcing my head to shake up and down as if I'm nodding "YES"..."Oh yes mommy? Thank you" with a sweet kiss on the forehead...~Ethan

ME: "Raya, it's 9:07" (She's supposed to be in bed by 9:00) Raya: Mom, can I stay up a little bit later, like 9:10"

I love my kids! They are so awesome!

Of course everything Carly does is cute (except when she pukes up curdled milk), I am truly blessed with sweet spirits!

Tis the Season

2009-01-08T20:53:00.000-08:00

Tis the season to be sick
Fa la la la la la barf barf barf.

Washing jammies and blankets
Fa la la la la la barf barf barf.

Doctor says it's going around
Fa la la, la la la, barf barf barf

Cleaning up throw up pound by pound
FA LA LA LA LA, LA BARF BARF BARF!

I hope my little Carly feels better in the morning...I have a date I'm supposed to go on tomorrow...I'm having her sleep with me tonight because she's thrown up in her sleep all day long...Let's just hope it stays on the protectant mattress cover and off my new bedding...

2009-01-05T22:12:00.000-08:00

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow...

2009-01-05T20:56:00.001-08:00

I love where I live. I love being able to drive 2 hours and sit on a nice warm sandy beach looking out to rippling waves of the Pacific Ocean and I love being able to drive 2 hours up to the mountains where it snows, play in it for awhile and then leave the snow behind when we return home. Carly turned one and on her birthday we decided that we would head up to the snow to celebrate her special day.

We went to a place called Cisco Grove...It was pretty crowded, but we found this really cool tubing park. We paid $10 for parking which was worth it seeing that the other side of the freeway was jammed packed with people. I wished we would have prepared a little better and brought more money so that we all could have gone tubing. It was real cool. They had an escalator type thing so people didn't have to climb the hill to tube. Raya was the only one that got to go tubing because it was $15 per person...a tad too steep for us right now. She had a blast and returned with a soaking wet butt.

Ethan enjoyed climbing hills and throwing snowballs at Malia and daddy, but his favorite part was eating as much snow as he could. Let's just hope it wasn't yellow in color.

Malia also enjoyed throwing snowballs and eating snow. She climbed up hills and slid down on her butt. She had a blast but got cold about an hour in and was ready to get into nice warm jammies and hop into a nice warm car.

While everyone was playing, I took lots of pictures of Carly. Carly wasn't quite sure what to think of the snow and was a little upset that her hands were covered in the snow suit, but she just chilled in the sled as I pulled her around keeping her occupied. She also decided to crawl out while I was watching Raya and explore a little bit. While we were up there, it started snowing pretty hard. It was fun watching her experience snow for the first time. She didn't know quite what to think of it.

As for me...Let's just say, I'm glad I don't live in the snow and I will just keep it at that.

A Daughter

2009-01-02T08:43:00.000-08:00

365 days ago, I had just woken from a somewhat decent night’s sleep. It was 5:30am and I was instructed to call the hospital. You see, I looked like this:

My body was exhausted from building and creating a new life and frankly, my mind was too. My due date had come and gone and so did the year I was supposed to give birth in. I was due on Christmas day 2007. I assumed that I would have already had my precious baby girl home for the holidays but unlike all her other sibling’s, she needed to stay in a secure and warm place a little bit longer than usual. My body had been laboring for weeks, but not enough to put me over the edge. I wasn’t too uncomfortable except for the night that we almost packed the car and drove to the hospital, but contractions subsided and so did my hope of having a 2007 year baby. Despite promises made by my doctor early on in my pregnancy that I would have a baby before Christmas and who convientantly went on vacation the week I was “supposed” to have my baby…the New Year came and I still looked like this:

One year ago, I made that hopeful call to the hospital. I needed to call first to see if there was a bed available to me. To my surprise, Labor and Delivery was very slow that day and welcomed me right in. I took a shower, got dressed, arranged Uncle Jake as a babysitter for the older kids, and Patrick and I headed off to the hospital during the dawn of day.

Everything was prepared for me when we got there. My nurse stayed with me the entire time. Time went quickly. I was having contractions when I went in, but didn’t realize it because I had been having those same types of contractions for a few weeks. My doctor came in shortly after I was admitted with that very familiar “crochet hook”. After my water was broke, and pitocin given, it only took a few short hours before I was pushing. I managed to take this picture:

I call it the “From the patient’s point of view” shot. My doctor knew what she was talking about when she told me that we would get started around 8am and have a baby by noon. Carly Fox Durling was born on January 2, 2008 at 11:41am. She was 7lbs. 14oz. and was 20 1/4 inches long.

Carly’s arrival home was defiantly a memorable one. The great storm of January 2008 in Northern California waited her arrival. Winds up to 65 mph began on our ride home which Carly stayed awake for the entire drive. Power went out, fences blew over, and trees toppled over was a normal site to see. Instead of a fresh blanket of snow in our front yard, we had a fresh blanket of pine needles that Patrick and the other kids got to clean up shortly while Carly and I watched.

I can hardly believe a year has gone by and that we are slowly moving away from the baby stage. Carly has accomplished a lot this past year. She learned to roll over, sit, crawl, stand, eat solid food, and feed herself (for the most part) with the 4 teeth she’s grown. She’s outgrown the reason why we called her Samurai baby with all the new hair on top of her head and she is defiantly a happier baby now that she’s mobile. We expect her to walk in the very near future because she stands up without holding onto anything now. We are just waiting for those first steps to come. She no longer likes baby food and prefers the selection from the Gerber Graduates menu. She plays games like peek-a-boo, catch, and the ever so favorite of “drop the item and watch mommy pick it up”. Carly has grown quite a bit, but not enough that the doctors would prefer. She weighs in at a hefty 15lbs and it looks like we won’t be turning her car seat forward for quite some time (California Law says One year old AND 20lbs). We are truly blessed with Carly’s spirit. She is a very sweet and easy going child (if you would have asked me that 3 months ago, I would have told you different). Looking back at pictures from only a year ago, it amazes me how much a baby changes. I have made a sweet little video to commemorate Carly’s first year. Happy 1st Birthday my Little Carly Fox. I LOVE YOU!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T23:51:00.000-08:00

My Holiday Post

2008-12-30T15:50:00.000-08:00

Twas the week before Christmas, when all through my house
Not a tree, or a wreath, or even my spouse.

No stockings were hung on the chimney at all
And all this torture could make a kid bawl.

A trip to Cool Forest, we cut down our tree
Rachael got car sick but the kids were filled with glee.

All our favorite ornaments including the dove
Were placed on our tree with the star up above.

The stockings and wreath and the Nativity
Made their way out of the box, thanks to me.

Presents were wrapped, not far in advance
With favorite character wrappings that made the kids dance.

The night before Christmas, we drove all the way to Oroville
Where In-Laws welcomed us with food for our tummies to fill.

Presents were exchanged and stories were told
of Wisemen and Shepards and people of old.

The long ride home was made late at night
and in the dark sky, we saw Santa take flight.

(This picture is a dramatization and does not depict our sighting acuratly...We saw three twinkling lights in a rythmatic motion flashing across the night's sky)

We got home close to midnight, kids still awake
getting Ethan to sleep was about all I could take

A few hours later, I made it to bed
When FINALLY sugar-plums could dance in MY head

The moon soon gave way to a damp gray sky
and I heard through the silence, my sweet baby cry

Soon the hustle and bustle of of three other kids
Turned to laughter and excitement to see what Santa hid

Eating breakfast and playing were all the kids could take
But we had to wait for Mikey, Sarah, Grandpa, Christi and Uncle Jake

Finally the time to open gifts was here
And I knew a nap would soon be near

Wrappings and toys filled out our living room
Putting everything away would soon be my doom

New bedding for all and some other great gifts
Including a scooter, laptop, and Raya's Ripstik

This little book called Twilight, I started that day
After pressure from family and friends far away

(No, I haven't read this series yet...please don't stone me...)

The food was plentiful and so was the mess
Who cleaned up the mess...well, take a guess!

That night proved real fun, playing games with the fam
Soon midnight approached and it hit me...WHAM!

I found myself in bed thinking of the days events
And couldn't believe that Christmas just came and went

How quickly Christmas comes and how quickly it goes
The story each year that each of us knows

The tree is now gone and the stockings too
A new year awaits with new resolutions to do

I'm blessed with laughter, warmth, and love
Family and friends and four children to hug

May your days be great this new coming year
With food, shelter, clothing and nothing to fear

This peom closes my year and boy was it tight
Happy New Year to all and to all a good night!

God Grew Tired of Us

2008-12-28T13:47:00.000-08:00

I highly suggest this documentary from National Geographic. It is about "The Lost Boys" of Sudan and how a few of them made their way to America. Watching these men eat chips for the first time, go to the grocery store and taste donuts for the first time and wondering if the green soap for washing dishes will turn whatever they are washing green makes me feel so grateful and blessed to be an American. Again, I highly suggest this film. I found it on Netflix.

Stay tuned for my holiday posting...It's coming...I promise!

A Son

2008-12-19T15:15:00.000-08:00

Four years ago...minus one day, Patrick and I had a couple friend of ours over. They wanted to go Christmas shopping...I refused! There is a reason I get all my shopping done well before Christmas...I wasn't about to go out in the "last Saturday before Christmas" crowd...They insisted...and I insisted even more. They pretty much drug me out of my house. I don't like crowds...Christmas shoppers bother me and too many of them REALLY bother me...The one and only reason I got in that car was a slight...ok, HUGE hope that it would put me into labor. You see, I was about due with our 3rd child, a son, and I looked like this:

(don't mind the "crazy pregnant lady" haircut...I know, it was a mistake...don't ever cut your hair when you are pregnant...Just look at it!)

I know...I looked Huge! I was HUGE...and uncomfortable and, well...I could go on and on...

He was due on Christmas Eve. I really wanted to have him early. I really wanted to have him home for Christmas. I was hoping he would be early like his older sisters were...I was hoping...but I also knew that he would come when he wanted and so I was prepared. I had all the Christmas shopping done, wrapped, and instructions given to Patrick if I ended up being in the hospital come Christmas Day.

So as I am in the car, dreading the trip to the mall (of all places)...I figured I could prolong my torture and use the "Pregnant lady has got to eat" excuse to stop off and get some food. We decided to head off to Del Taco. I usually don't eat there. I thought they served up Mexican fast food, but apparently they serve up burgers and fries too. I was confused as to what to order for the kids and I (Patrick could order for himself)...I stepped up to the register and began ordering for the girls..."Ummmm, I guess I'll have some french fries and ummmmmm, a couple of hamburgers..." I was trying to figure out what I wanted to eat and then...GUSH....ok, so it wasn't a huge gush all over the floor...just a slight gush...I finished up the order completely holding in what had just happened to me and not ordering any food for myself because I was freaking out...No one knew, only I knew that my water had just broke. I paid, stepped back and whispered to my friend..."either I just peed my pants or my water broke". I discussed it with my friend and then I told Patrick and then Patrick decided to share it with the cashier who was probably a 16 year old boy and really didn't need or necessarily want to hear that kind of information. A trip to the bathroom pretty much confirmed my suspicion. So I didn't get any food, but I got out of shopping.

(This is the receipt from Del Taco on that wonderful day)

Patrick and I headed off to the hospital leaving our girls with our friends and with Patrick's brother and sister-in-law.

(So this isn't Patrick with me...It is my brother who happened to stop by as we were heading to the hospital)

The doctors confirmed that my water had broke, but it broke up high and that is why it didn't gush all over the place (Thank Goodness). They ended up breaking my water with a crochet hook (ok, so it really wasn't a crochet hook, but it looked like one)...

I walked the halls...I walked through my contractions because a nurse walking down the hallway told me it would make me dilate faster if I did...I wanted to get my epidural, but I had to be at a certain centimeter before I could. After a few mishaps with the anesthesiologist, who forgot about me, and some cool numbing drugs, I was able to get my epidural and become pain free...well, sort of pain free. My contractions were irregular...I remember lying in a dark room, in the middle of the night, hearing beeps and looking up at the contraction monitor and thinking that I was in for a VERY long night because I couldn't see a regular consistency to the graph...I was tired and thought this labor would never end.

I swear the nurses gave up on me...Every time they came to check me, I was at a 5. I wasn't progressing. I wasn't used to this. I hadn't had any problems with the other two kids. They decided to give me pitocin. It didn't help. A long while went by. I was wondering why no one had come to check me. Finally a nurse came in. She wanted to put an internal monitor on the babies head because he kept coming off the monitor. She pulled my covers down and told me to hold on a minute. She came back in with another nurse and said, "Ummm, I think it's time to get you to the delivery room, the babies head is right there." Patrick and his mother were just coming into the room to see what was going on. They were stuck in the hallway because there wasn't any room in the tiny labor room I was in...which had a pull down toilet from the wall...LOL! Anyway, Patrick asked if he could go to the bathroom and the nurse said "If you want to miss the birth"...They hustled me to the delivery room and with two short pushes...A tiny miracle with sweet little cries, made his way into this world. Ethan Lewis Durling was born at 4:30am weighing in at 8 lbs. 2.9 oz. and was 20 1/4 inches long. He was born 6 days before Christmas.

I was able to bring Ethan home and have him there on Christmas day. What a wonderful Christmas present. A precious gift straight from the hands of God. A tiny little spirit, full of wonder and amazement...

My sweet boy is Four years old today. Where does the time go? Happy 4th Birthday Ethan! I love you so very much!

Here's to more birthdays in the future!

Seperation Issues

2008-12-16T16:25:00.001-08:00

I swear! My bed has serious seperation issues...It did NOT want me to leave it this morning...

You Better Watch Out...

2008-12-13T19:59:00.001-08:00

You better not CRY...(Sing with me now...)Santa Claus is coming to town...

Santa Claus came to our Primary Christmas party this morning! I think Santa has a very tough job! I took pictures of all the kids in Primary with Santa and towards the end, it was a crying frenzy...my child included...I have to admit, I had hope that Carly would be ok being held by Santa, but unfortunately, that hope soon diminished as Sheri (my friend) brought her into the room...Ahhhh, another crying baby being held by Santa Claus picture to add to my collection!

And below is the newly called Primary Presidency who organized and ROCKED this killer Primary party...Yes! We are super cool...

Love

2008-12-10T21:49:00.000-08:00

It is so fun to see a newly engaged couple and watch how they interact with each other. It brings me back to when I was newly engaged. Love changes over the years and the tummy butterflies are few and far between. The love I have for Patrick is far more deeper than I would have ever imagined it to be 11 years ago yet I sometimes long for that giddy new love we once shared where I loved all his little quirks and never once thought that the grammar corrections or burping or farting would EVER bother me. Times have changed, but my love has grown ten fold. It's grown to a new kind of love...one that is amazing!

So I was asked to engagement pictures of Patrick's cousin Jessica and her fiance Benjamin...We went up to the Wash House and Downtown Oroville. The session was quick but I got a lot of cool shots...So here is your teaser Jessica...I am trying so hard to get the rest of the photos finished but I have to schedule teeth brushing into my schedule these days...They will come...I promise...In the meantime, enjoy these few photos!

Blog Slacker...

2008-12-08T20:59:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I've been a blog slacker...sue me...or better yet, read my catch up posts below...

A Monster Bash!

2008-12-08T20:08:00.000-08:00

Ethan had a blast at his 4th Birthday Monster Bash!

We celebrated Ethan's upcoming birthday scary style...ok, so the monsters weren't scary at all, they were so very cute, but they were monsters none the less. When asked what kind of birthday party Ethan wanted, he quickly rose is hands to face level, curled his little fingers, and with a scary 4 year old little boys voice said "A Monster Party"...I said "Ok, we can do that" and so we did.

The decorations were as simple as decorations can get...streamers and balloons...both in black and blue colors. The cupcakes were topped with little monster suckers and blue frosting which made for some great monster pictures.

We had a bunch of little monsters running around. They yelled, screamed, cried and even hid while sneaking someone else's candy.

We decorated monster cutouts with stickers

and for the older kids like this one:

we had sharpie pens.

Ethan wanted to play hopscotch at his party...and so we did...

or at least we tried.

We sang and played guitar:

and we turned blue like monsters do:

Ethan received many fun toys...Spiderman bubbles, Spiderman wrist web spin, a remote controlled car, batman figurines, hulk monster gloves, batman jammies and band aids, clothes including batman underwear, cars, Spiderman 3 the movie, paint, puzzles, and this:

It's called a Skuut and it helps prepare your child for bikes without training wheels.

I made Ethan's awesome shirt which says "Ethan is having a blast at his 4th birthday monster bash"

Each child got a shirt very similar in an awesome goody bag to take home.

We had a great turn out being so close to the holidays. Ethan had so much fun with his friends and probably even more fun with all his new toys. Thanks to all of you who came to help celebrate my little monster's birthday!

Poindexter Palooza

2008-12-08T16:19:00.000-08:00

Every year around the holidays, my family gets together to share what we've been up to for the past year. We play, eat, sing, and listen. It's a time to strengthen our bonds with eachother. This year would mark our 13th year. The past few years we've been doing it on Black Friday...We jokingly say that we are celebrating Black Friday but we are actually having our Native American Ceremony. We have Osage Indian in our blood. My dad and brothers have made medicine bags for each of us and we have special blankets. We have a Sacred Circle and get smudged as we enter into it. Everyone looks forward to it every year. This is how we celebrate the holidays.

This year we did the sacred circle a little bit different than normal. We had Tiki Torches lighting it up. It was nice to have the extra light and it totally reminded me of Survivor (yes...my favorite show)...

I was able to take a few pictures until my battery died. I was a little erked by that, but it's the memories of the togetherness that will always be cherished. I love my family. Each and every one of them. We all have very different views about life, politics, and religion, but when we get together, we are accepted as ourselves and loved unconditionally. This tradition isn't going to end anytime soon, it's only going to get longer and longer in length because every year there someone new in that circle...this year, among some honored guests, it was Carly, the newest member of our family, who had a medicine bag made just for her.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-08T15:02:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was great. We were originally going up to Oroville to be with Patrick's parents and brother, but because of many circumstances, Patrick and I decided to host Thanksgiving dinner at our house.

I enjoyed getting ready for the festivities. I actually decorated with the 80% off fall items from Michaels that I purchased. The table decorations were AWESOME! And the kiddos made sweet place mats, each telling an item that they are thankful for. Patrick got all into the decorations too. We bought new plates and glasses. I actually found plates and bowls that I liked at the Dollar Tree and Patrick found the glasses he liked at Ikea. We probably spent a little more money than what we really would have liked, but we now have these items for future shindigs.

We had my parents and their significant others, Patrick's parents, his brother and his brother's wife as well as his brother's wife's dad (did you get that?) and all their children and of course, my brother too. So we had a full house and we were able to seat every one of them.

I made a killer turkey...It was soooo good and I don't normally like turkey...I made some other yummy food and everyone brought something to share including the best homemade cheesecake EVER! We enjoyed each others company and of course the debates with Patrick's brother on numerous political issues...

I am grateful for so many things and it's unfortunate that I have to have a holiday to reflect on those things. I will not bore you with all the things that I am grateful for like family, friends and Christ. I will however, give you a little chuckle with what Ethan is grateful for...He is grateful for the Temple, for Fun, for Turkey and for Pancakes...and Malia is grateful for showers. I am grateful for all those things too.

Of course we had to get a family picture done outside by all the fallen leaves. The struggle to get everyone to sit and smile pretty is one of those challenges that I have given up on. Maybe one of these days we'll have that pretty posed cheesy picture, but until now, kids will be kids. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

Ouch!

2008-11-30T21:34:00.001-08:00

I'm nursing a pulled muscle from bowling on the Wii...Who does that...seriously? I had a sore left leg muscle today after kicking all THREE of my brother's butts bowling (and golfing too I might add) at the Poindexter Palooza held on Black Friday and then when I went to kick Jake's butt again today, I found out why I was so sore. I'm thinking I need to cancel my gym membership and buy a Wii...It's obviously working some muscles out...LOL!

Saying Goodbye

2008-11-29T16:42:00.000-08:00

I just returned from a lovely funeral service for Jen Gilbert. There was a whole lot of tears and laughter when loved ones spoke about her. My sister was asked to speak. She told Jen's girls that when they get older, she has a lot to tell them about their mom and then made a joke that their dad wouldn't let them talk to my sister until they are like 30 years old. There were many fun stories told about Jen by numerous people including her 3 brothers. Apparently her younger twin brothers used to chase her a lot and re-organize her room which annoyed Jen. Jen was a planner and very organized. She loved her husband and kids very much.

Jen passed away from a very rare condition called SCAD. I just tried to look it up online and there is very little information on it. It is so rare that most doctors don't check for it. 75% of the people who have this condition will pass away and it usually happens in either the last trimester of pregnancy or post-partum. It's basically a tear in an artery near the heart.

I know that Jen will always be Mekenzy, Kacy, and baby Jake's guardian angel watching out and guiding them throughout their time on this earth. I know it is and will always be hard for those girls to understand about death especially the death of their mom. It was heart wrenching hearing Kacy crying out for her mommy during the funeral services today. My heart and prayers go out to her and her sister, brother, daddy, and all the extended family. I can't get the song "God be with you till we meet again" out of my head. I know we will all be reunited with loved ones who have passed on, but in the meantime, it's ok to grieve and it's ok to be sad.

I'm So Sad

2008-11-25T12:43:00.000-08:00

Among sorrow and grief, death brings realization and perspective. A dear friend of my sisters passed away yesterday. She was a young woman of only 34. Her name was Jennifer.

Jennifer married her high school sweetheart whom she started her family with. She had just given birth to her 3rd child last week. A son named Jake. Jake is the brother of two beautiful older sisters Makenzy and Kacy, who are 7 and 5 years old and look just like her. My heart is broken and yet I have realized, once again, that God will call us back on his terms and on his time and we may not know when that will be. With her death, I have pondered all night and day about my life and where I am with the people I love and most importantly, where I am spiritually. Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us and even with this knowledge, I can't help but think why would he call back a mother of not only small children, but a week old infant. I can't imagine leaving this mortal earth with my children so young, yet it happens all the time. It is so sad to think of how things are going to work out for her family, but it will, because it has to. My thoughts and prayers are with Jennifer's family at this time, especially with her husband and 3 small children. I pray that the spirit can comfort them and all who are affected by the death of Jennifer. May they draw closer to God and ask for his comfort and strength and not curse him. May they wrap each other in their arms and love each other and draw strength from each other and may they raise those kids to always remember their mother and remember the love she had for them and may Jake always know who his mother was and that she stayed alive long enough to bring him into this world so that he could get his body and fulfill his mission on earth. I pray that all of you who are reading this post will remember how precious life is and how short is can be. Give your children an extra hug and kiss and tell them you love them all the time for you don't know when it will be the last time. To Jennifer Brown Gilbert...May you Rest in Peace in the loving arms of the Savior.

Bragging Rights

2008-11-21T22:11:00.000-08:00

Becoming a mother gives you the right to brag about your children. Things that mothers think are so important to share with others may not really be all that important to the listener or in this case, the reader, but I am going to do it anyway. It's so nice to hear positive things about your children from people you don't normally converse with. I had two different conversations in one day regarding my two older daughters in which I think is most definitely blog worthy.

Raya has been begging me for her friend Lizzy to come over and play and although I would prefer her friends to come to my house, I have a hard time allowing them to come when we have school the next day. Since Friday was a no school day, I allowed Lizzy to come over after school on Thursday. The kids played very well together except for when they felt like torturing the only boy in the house. My bragging comes when Lizzy's mom came to pick her up. I have talked with her only a few times. Lizzy hasn't been in Raya's class since kindergarten and they are now in 4th grade so our paths haven't crossed much. Lizzy's mom said that it is finally nice to have such a nice kid for her daughter to play with. Apparently Lizzy has had some "not so nice" friends in the past where her mom had to put a stop to a "not so good" friendship. I am in shock about it. I didn't realize that that kind of stuff happens at 9 years old, but it does and I am now aware. One of the biggest things I try to teach my kids is to always be kind to everyone and make sure they are aware of those who may not have friends or those who are getting picked on and stand up for them. I have seen and heard stories from and about Raya that have made my heart happy and that feeling of "I've taught my kid well" comes over me. One that stands out happened in church. A few boys were picking on a girl while in class saying "Ewwww don't sit next to Emma, she's gross!" Raya's teacher came up to me and told me this story. She said that Raya, without hesitation said "I'll sit next to her." Her teacher said it was so refreshing to see a young person act in that manner and that I've done well teaching her.

Each month at the Elementary school, the principal picks a character trait and has a lunch for students who show that particular trait. The class votes on two people for their class. This months trait was "Caring" and Raya was voted for out of 36 students and was able to enjoy a lunch with her principal. It is true, Raya is a very caring person and I am soooo proud that she is turning into such a lovely young lady!

My next brag is about Malia. Malia is in first grade. Her teacher is actually a substitute teacher and has been since the beginning of the year. Her real teacher has been on medical leave since the end of last year. I got her teacher a simple $5 gift card to Jamba Juice just to say thank you for being there for my Malia. So she called me to thank me for it. We went on talking about Malia and how much I've seen her change and she told me how much Malia has opened up since the beginning of the year.

She then went on to tell me a story that happened earlier during the week. Her teacher gave each student 7 letters. They play a game with them. The kids start by making a one letter word like "a" then go to a 2 letter word like "at" Then a three letter word like "cat" and so on and so forth. After they got through the sixth word, the teacher told them that all seven letters make a word and to see if they could figure it out. She told me that she walked by Malia's desk and was blown away that Malia had spelt out the word "Scratch". Her teacher said that she wasn't sure if Malia knew for sure what she had spelt, but got it none the less. Malia did come home that day and told me that she was the only one in the class that knew how to spell "scratch" but didn't elaborate on the story so it was nice to hear how it happened.

Malia has always been a silent learner. She doesn't talk much but takes everything in. I am so proud of the progress she has made this year in school. It has been a huge change and I am excited to watch her grow throughout her school years.

So I will just brag about my two oldest daughters for now. I don't write much about them so it was time for me to share some of the good things I get to see and hear about. After all, I'm a mother and I've earned my bragging rights!

Escape Now or Die Later...

2008-11-20T08:38:00.000-08:00

Bright and early when the sun is just barely up, I pack the kids in the car and head off to take the older girls to school. This morning was no different until we reached the corner street where the school is. Six turkeys grazing on the side of the road was not a normal site to see. I live in the suburbs and seeing a flock of turkeys along side a busy street is a rare site. They were big turkeys. They flapped their wings and chased each other. We were fortunate to have left a few minutes early so we were able to watch these turkeys for a while. What a coincidence that Thanksgiving is just a week away and here are these big, plump turkeys walking along side the street. I watched cars stop, kids and parents stop, and the crossing guard stop and all watch these turkeys. Then I noticed the second one to the last in line. He was limping. Then it occured to me...These turkeys must have escaped from becoming a Thanksgiving meal. The only problem with escaping is that there are people like me who thought immediately to go and get my gun so I wouldn't have to pay for my thanksgiving turkey and then I remembered that I didn't have a gun or the heart to kill an animal...so I will still be heading to the store to pay for someone to do my dirty work so that I can enjoy a nice plump yummy turkey on Thanksgiving day...and to those turkeys on the side of the road...RUN FOR YOUR LIVES OR DIE...it's Thanksgiving time!