Happy Thanksgiving!

Sending out a big HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all. Hope you have a wonderful holiday and are able to reflect on all the wonderful blessings the Lord has given us. I'm keeping a little prayer of gratitude in my own heart for the MANY incredible blessings I have. Thank you Jacob for being my number one. Followed up quickly by 2 and 3 who keep me hoppin' all day long. And to think that's only the beginning of my blessings....

Gosh I love this picture. Blessings indeed.

SMRT

I am so dang smart! I amaze myself. Astounding. Spectacular! Okay, so I'm only a mere lightyear away from the rest of the world, but hey, I'm going to give myself a big pat on the back anyway. As you may have noticed, I changed my blog template. Now, you have to understand what an accomplishment this is. I DID IT BY MYSELF. Yes, it's true. I actually read a tutorial and made my way through all that html code junk. To most of the outside world this is comparable to a toddler putting on their own shoe. Perhaps I'm a technical toddler. Nonetheless, I will rejoice in my triumph! Okay, I'm a dork.

Let's recap last week. The Israelsen family are really the stars of the show this past month. In the past month, all but two of Jacob's siblings have come down to visit. Considering we only missed two out of ten, that's a pretty good chunk of the fam dam! Well, we must also add in that we didn't get to see a brother-in-law and a niece. But still, we got great Israelsen coverage! Last week we topped off the family pilgrimage to Southern Utah with a visit from Mom and Dad Israelsen. Dad I had meetings T-TH down in Mesquite, and Mom I accompanied him down. She stayed with us while dad was being the professional and then he joined us for the rest of the week. I WAS SPOILED. I had a whole week of Grandma Entertainer/Dishwasher Loader/Housecleaner/Counselor. We even got to keep them an extra day because Dad I's work truck broke down and they couldn't get a ride back up north until Saturday. I'm afraid the snow storm on Friday put a major kink into Dad's "get-r-done" schedule and he was stuck inside the whole day. Torture for an Israelsen! But, we enjoyed all our time together. THANK YOU for all your help mom and dad. We really had a great time with you. And I'm not even saying that just to be nice! The girls especially loved all the TLC. Mom I deserves a serious upgrade in heaven for the million times she played Memory and Cooties. Not to mention the 1,259,301 books she read to the little girls. Monday morning I looked at the pile of dishes in my sink and just about called and begged them to come back. Love you!

Well, my little Allie Rae is having some major success with potty training. I am perfectly okay about that! My little two-year-old bundle of joy has also started into some MAJOR tantrums. I have never seen tantrumming like this. Out of control, freak out, send mom to the asylum, kind of tantrums. Fortunately I found a great resource on the internet that is helping whip these freak out sessions right into shape. It's a darn good thing, I was about to sell her to the gypsies. Hmm. Not sure they would have taken her. LOVE YOU ALLIE!

Another Good One

You may have already seen this, but this was so touching to me. What an incredible lesson on what it means to be a parent, and how to take our trials in stride. Great to watch after an afternoon of shopping with the girls who ran around like hoodlums and dropped a juice bottle that broke and spilled all over the floor in Smith's.

Food for Thought

Perhaps right now one of the biggest things going on is the H1N1 deal. I know there are many differing opinions about the flu this year and there has been tons of media coverage. What I have found is that there is quite a bit of research out there, a lot of which is not covered in the media. Now that I am a mom and have to make very important decisions regarding the health of my kiddos, I have been really trying to do research so I can make what I feel is an educated, objective decision. Before simply assuming the best preventative course of action to take, I highly suggest everyone to do their own research to make the best decision for them and their families. An example of many available:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/11/03/What-We-Have-Learned-About-the-Great-Swine-Flu-Pandemic.aspx (This one has some VERY interesting info and especially numbers to consider)

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/11/13/what-is-the-real-cause-of-influenza-epidemics.aspx

http://www.nvic.org// (this one is a non-profit organization therefore has no ties to any one program or company)

Just something to think about. Something I'm learning about myself is I often play the "devil's advocate," if you will, and try to see all sides of the story.

If any of you out there have some other interesting information you would like to share, I would love to hear it!

Weekend Recap

We had such a fun weekend! 5 of Jacob's brothers and sisters came down for the weekend, and we had such a good time. I was spoiled having so many hands to help me out. You sisters are awesome! Who else would be so willing to do all my really gross projects, without me even asking? In fact, I really was hoping they wouldn't find my dirty little secrets. But those busy little bees just can's sit still. Let's go over the list: First, my fridge got cleaned out. No really, it was disgusting. They didn't even request gloves. Amazing. Then, my microwave got cleaned out. Sparkling, delightful. I like to peek into it just to see how nice it looks in there. Let's add to the list that I can now see out of my windows. Those Windex Warriors took care of those in no time flat. True love, however, is cleaning out the area where my washer and dryer have been. I don't think they even threw up after seeing all that soggy sticky dryer lint. Really, I don't live in filth, but having little kids is kind of like having a constant tornado swooping down in every crevice of my house wreaking havoc. Thank you so much for helping me with all those little projects I would just rather forget about!!

Okay, okay, I guess the boys deserve a little credit. After all, they did get our wood split and stacked, hauled washers and dryers up and down stairs, and did all sorts of random farm stuff. And here they thought they were going to have a vacation! Ha!

Saturday afternoon we headed up to do some shooting. The girls both had their first time shooting a gun (and a LOT of talks about how guns are very dangerous) and they both loved it. My little sharpshooters:


After shooting, we drove up to a better spot to start a fire and have a weenie roast. Nothing like gorging yourself on a big fat hot dog and following it up by a big scoop of bean dip, huh? We didn't even have room for s'mores. Aahh, that's the life. And then come home to a clean fridge!

The girls were in heaven with their Aunts and Uncles and I think each one took a turn as the favorite at some point over the weekend. The only down side to the weekend was Uncle Benson wasn't feeling well and stayed home. We missed you Uncle Bens! The ladies were spoiled with lots of love and attention. They especially love to rough house with the Uncles. You make a GREAT horse Uncle Karl!





Thanks so much for a fun weekend everybody! How about next weekend too?

Here's the girls with the first snow storm of the year. Kenna insisted on gearing up to go out and play, so we went on a search to roundup all the snow gear and got them all bundled up. Of course we had to follow it up with some hot chocolate.

And to top off the blog entry, what is better than a good old Halloween carnival put on by the Young Women? Not much! Here are the girls dressed up and ready to party. Fairy Kenna (complete with a hairdo of her own), and Ladybug Allie. Love it!

Mom's Lesson

Being completely frank, little children are a lot of work. A lot. Around the clock, throughout the weekends, and even on holidays- go figure. And to continue with our frank little discussion, it isn't always easy. Stress builds as quickly as my laundry pile does. But then, thank goodness, there are moments that really make it worth it. Like when my girls dance for me when listening to their primary songs, or let out a giggle that seems to come up from their toes. Or especially when I am the one who gets to learn a lesson from my girls. This was the case yesterday. Let me set up the scenario for you:

Jacob's brothers Seth and Daniel came down for the weekend (We had a lot of fun with you! Considering they went with Jacob and the Teachers on an overnighter down the narrows in Zions and we only saw them for just a bit). I wanted to have a nice Sunday lunch and then let them get on their way back up the state. Well, the rolls were raising perfectly on the table and were about ready to go in the oven, when I caught Allie on the table punching them down. She got to about half of them. "ALLLLLIE! NOOOOOO!," I said (rather gruff) and I snatched her off the table. Well, Allie felt bad and started to cry. After all, I can only imagine what a fun little game it must be to punch down roll dough when you're two. In her cute little mind she was probably thinking, "hey mom, look what I can do!" Of course when you are the mommy running around trying to get everything ready and your rolls get pretty much ruined, it's not so much a fun little game. So, in all the commotion, Kenna stands her ground in the kitchen, shakes her finger at me and says with all the bravado of a soon-to-be 4-year-old, "Mom! Jesus tells us that we shouldn't get mad!" She gave me a good stare down. I had to let out a sigh, because really, she's right. I got down on my knees, gave her a hug, and said, "you're right Kenna, thank you for reminding me." It seemed to be a very simple moment, but it was so touching to me. I have really been trying hard lately to work on not getting angry so easy, and to speak softly. I have learned in so many situations that it really makes all the difference when it comes to dealing with people, and I know it especially makes a difference in the home. But back to the 'kids are a lot of work' I started out with, it isn't always easy to keep my cool. In fact, I could often easily get to a pretty good boil! But, thanks to the simple spirit of my little girl, the Lord gave me a very strong reminder. Really, the rolls still tasted good. They were just, well, ugly. In the end, rolls don't mean a whole lot, but the confidence of my two year old does. Sometimes you just have to let it roll. He he, no pun intended. I pray the Lord will continue to guide me in my efforts to as I try to do a little better each day.

Taylie Update

Let's not be mistaken folks, there are MANY good things about the world we live in. Goodness is in the hearts of people, and this past weekend it has been proven tenfold. As you read in my last post, there was a wonderful little fundraiser for sweet little Taylie who is battling cancer. Over the weekend, there were a total of 358 posts in behalf of Taylie. The deal was to double the number of posts and write a check in that amount. Add it all up and that makes $716. The generous donor decided he wanted to "kick it up a notch" and double it again to bring the total to $1432.00. Yes, you read correctly! My heart is smiling. To see people who are so willing to help out a stranger is...well, there really isn't a word to describe it. THAT is what I like to read about in the news. THAT is what is at the heart of America. THAT is what it means to give charity. Not to give, necessarily, but to love. Love as our Savior does. Hopefully it's only a beginning.