Dear Broken Toilet...

Oh how you tried to ruin my day. You flooded 2 1/2 rooms in my house by silently spilling water over your edge throughout the night.
But no, you did not succeed. We mopped your mess up and are currently still airing out the carpet in the kids room. And this cute little girl still decided to have a great day. Starting with another round of swimming lessons. I was SO proud to see her doing the very thing that spooked her on the first day of swim lessons a couple weeks ago---floating on her back. She hardly needed any help from the instructor. Go Petey!

Seeing this picture made today happy too. I love these two. I love that they love each other. And I love how cute they are!

And being able to take this cute boy to swim lessons with us made today even better.

Broken Toilet, you tried to give us a bad day. But we won.

Until next time...

Suze.

Growing, Growing, Gone!

Disclaimer: Yes, my son's eyes are red. In trying to be cautious about getting sunscreen in his eyes, I didnt rub the sunscreen close enough to his eyes so he has a sunburned ring under both of his eyes. Can you tell what Spidey is pushing away in the above picture?
Does this show it any better?

How about this?

At the time of these pictures being taken, Ry and I were both laughing at the fact that Spidey was literally pushing me away from him on the carousel. But looking back on these pictures, it makes me sad.

It's hard to think that someday, he wont need me to stand next to him while he rides the carousel.

Even harder to think that someday, he may not need me at all.

Why do they have to grow up so fast?

It's fun and hard to catch tiny glimpses of the way my children are growing and to think of what they'll be like when they grow up. I am so proud of who they are---but cant they just stay little for a while longer?

Every time I turn around, Spidey has a new phrase or word. He is talking like crazy.

And Petey...I thought that girl was sassy before. Look out world!

I am so grateful to call them mine and to share them with my best friend.

And that's how Suze sees it.

Hello, Dentist, I've missed you!

Today was a rotten day.
This morning, I woke up with a toothache. And not a "my wisdom teeth were just pulled" kind of an ache. I tried to put it off and ignore it throughout the day but by lunch time, I was in a lot of pain. So I called the dentist and they got me in three hours later.
I went in and filled out a load of paperwork...since you know, I havent been to the dentist since April 2007 {1 week before my wedding}. Shh!
They did x-rays.
And I got the news.
I had guessed I would need a filling or a root canal but I couldn't tell which kind of pain it was.
How about a filling AND a root canal? Yup, that is the case, my friends.

I tried to hold the tears in while they were giving me the price information but as soon as I got into my car, the floodgates arrived.
Wisdom teeth + root canal & crown + filling = Approx. $4000.
Can you say "stressed out mama"? Cause I sure can!
And yes, money is the biggest stresser but I am also angry that this had to happen when I've been healing from my wisdom teeth. Can I please just deal with one thing at a time?

I drove home with tear stains and mascara on my cheeks.
I walked in the door to find many things. Ill let you take a look for yourself.

Ry and Petey tracing every single letter of the alphabet and having fun doing it.

Pictures colored on the table. Can you guess which one is Petey's and which one is Ry's? ;)

One happy girl with fingers painted so beautifully.

And I was no longer sad. I just stopped stressing for a while. Even though the stress has returned tonight, a huge burden has been lifted off my chest. I know we will be ok. I know things happen for a reason and that we are tested when we need to be. Ry has been living with us again this week and I am not sure what I would've done without her. I understand that I would've dealt with my worries had she not been here but she was such a blessing when I needed some happiness.

I know God did that for me today. He tested me and then showed me where my true happiness is. Not with money or wordly things but with my family and my testimony.

Ry even helped brush Spidey's teeth tonight. It was the cutest thing.

And we all snuggled down for a movie (The Little Rascals) before bedtime. (Actually, she is currently blowing bubbles with them while I finish this blog post and then we are ALL going to bed...7am root canal is calling me).

And that's how Suze finds happiness in the midst of misery.

You are Perfect

{{{Disclaimer: I've heard a song on the radio a couple of times these past few days that really struck me hard...until I went to download it and realized there is a HUGE, ugly word said many times in the song. So in order to keep this post true to it's title, I am going to talk about the song the way I thought it was sung...and not how the words go.}}}

We walked around the temple for Family Home Evening on Monday night. As the kids were walking and I was taking pictures, the song, "Perfect" by Pink came into my head. I've heard it on the radio before and it struck me so hard on this particular day. My favorite part says, "Pretty, pretty please, dont you ever, ever feel, like your less than, less than perfect." You see, my children are perfect. They are perfect for us. They are perfect for each other. And I hope that they always remember this.

I often worry about their self esteem and I want them to know that we love them very much. I try to incorporate fun activities into our days and teach them about their worth. I dont want to miss out on their lives at all, which is why I stay home with them.

People often dont understand why I trade having money for staying home with my kids. It is such a hard thing to explain unless you have lived both sides of it. I've worked and I've stayed home. Both are a challenge in so many different ways but only one comes with eternal rewards.

I see my children loving each other and behaving well and I think, "I did that!". I hear them singing songs or painting pictures and I think, "I taught them that!". I hope I can also succeed in teaching them of their worth and divine nature.

Because they are perfect. And they are worth it.

And that's how Suze sees it.

{{{Now after I know what the true words are to the song, I am sad that I will no longer be singing it in the car with my kids. If only it could have been written my way.}}}

Flag Blocks

My Sister in Law and I have been trying to get together once a week to craft. One of the first projects we decided to tackle were these Flag Blocks from Brown Paper Packages.
My sister in law posted the picture of her finished project on her blog and here is mine.
I think it's cute! We have been going crazy with wood projects so there will be many more to come but that is it for now.

I am currently working on my 4th of July wreath and some blocks to go on the wall. I was going to finish them up and post those today but I realized I didnt have everything to finish them. Darn! I'll try and get them done and posted soon so you can have time to make them yourselves if you'd like.

And that's how Suze crafts it.

#1 Dad

This is Boss' third year celebrating Father's Day. He really does deserve an awesome day but I think Ill have to postpone that since I still cant do everything for the kids (Remember, pain meds = loopy Suze).
I feel so lucky to have such an awesome man in my life. He can be such a kid sometimes and he is perfect for our kids. He loves making our kids laugh. One of Petey's favorite things is to have him spray her with the hose on the trampoline. It's so cute to see her light up when he goes out there to be with her.
He is always willing to do things for our kids, even if it's share his yummy hamburger with his hungry little boy {who had already eaten dinner}.

I was going back through pictures to find some cute ones of him for this post and I realized there are so many things that we go and do without him. I know it bothers him that he misses out on every day life here at home but I am so grateful that he is willing to work hard and continue with school...even when sometimes, it just plain sucks.

Boss has always been a hard worker. For the last 3-4 days, he has been sanding down our kitchen table and putting a beautiful, dark brown finish on it for me. I didnt like the color of the table so he just went ahead and got to work making it into something I would like. He is always doing things like that for me. I am so grateful that he is a handy man and saves us money by learning to do so many things on his own.

I am so very grateful for so many wonderful fathers in my life. What a truly special day we are able to celebrate tomorrow.

And that's how Suze sees it.

Adios, Wisdom Teeth: Part II

It's times like these that I realize just how blessed I am.
Getting my wisdom teeth out wouldn't really be that big of a deal if I wasn't a mom of two children and wife to a busy husband.
But through it all, I've learned how important family is.
Boss' Aunt and Uncle and their 3 girls have been the biggest help. I've spent the last 2 days post surgery at their house ALL DAY LONG. It wasnt planned this way but apparently, when I woke up from surgery, I was asking for them.
And on top of that, we've had one of their girls spend the night at our house each night to help me out with the kids in the morning. Yesterday, Kaitlyn took Petey to her summer movie, since I couldn't go. And today, Gracie got my kids up and ready for the day since Boss is out golfing for Father's Day.
The night before surgery, I dropped the kids off at my mom's who took them over night and watched them until 4pm the next day.
And of course, my own husband has been wonderful throughout this all. He has been here for me and getting me whatever I need.

Last night, I slept much better than the night before...ten hours to be exact!...but in the midst of that, I woke up in an enormous amount of pain from not having any medication in ten hours. I could hardly stand the pain and so I've been laying on the couch all morning, watching Gracie do everything for my children.
They are currently all laying down watching Elf together. :)

And yes, I understand that my medication is just kicking in and this post may sounds weird. My head is sort of spinning right now but I still felt like blogging. :) Sorry.

And that's how Suze sees it.