Ma's black eye

Our Update

So, I've been so busy posting my "thought blogs" I figured I should post something about the family. So here's what's going on here. Brent is still working hard at work and school but still seems to find some time for us too. I'm always so shocked at how much he can squeeze into his day. Something is changing though, work just put him on a 24/7 on call status which means he has to be available at all times for tech support. The good things about it means that no matter how long those calls are, he is paid for complete hours and all time spent is overtime. Yeah for the paychecks. At this point, we don't know how much it's going to impact our family time. He's trying to get approval to have a broadband card so that we can still take trips as a family without inferring with his new status. Either way, right now, we're looking at the blessings that this new assignment will bring rather than focus on the negative impact it could have.

He's really loving his calling in Scouts. He has been a great motivator to the boys he's over and to the boys he's not, he's trying to share information with them on their Scout leaders so that they can have the boys advancing together.

And speaking of Scouts, Morgan is plugging right along to his Eagle. His is so excited now and is constantly talking about what to do next so he can have his project ready to go in the next few months. The goal is to be finished with the project by the end of August if not sooner. My younger brother will be up at the end of July and that might be the perfect time to get the school bus stop structure up weather wise. We'll see and we'll post pictures as he starts the work so you can all see.

And speaking of Scouts again, there's Britt. She is about to advance in Girls Scouts from a Junior to a Cadette. She has her advancement ceremony next Thursday. She is also looking forward to this years Girls' Activity Day Camp at the end of June. It's her last year and that means extra stuff for the 11 year old girls.

Jesse is working hard at finishing the 3rd grade strong. She has never had any issues at school and all her teachers have loved her to pieces. They always send home really good comments about her. Her reading has really blossomed this year. She, like her older brother and sister, really likes to read. I don't know what's wrong with my kids. They are constantly reading. What happened to video games and playing with friends non-stop? ;) Just kidding, my children love playing video games and with friends too. Jesse is also very much into singing. She joined the school choir this year and they have the school end concert next Thursday. She told me on Thursday when I picked her up from choir that she tried out to a solo part for "My Country Tis of Thee." Wow! She is so courageous! I can't wait to hear if she got the part.

Kate, what can we say about her? She had her 2nd birthday recently. I can't believe two years have passed since she was born. On one hand it seems like only yesterday but on the other hand, it seems like forever ago! She has taken to singing too! I've had her in a YMCA gym class and they always start and end the group with circle time where they sing songs. Her favorite seems to be "Oh, Elephant" but she likes any song that has movement and noise. She is also talking up a storm and we have to be careful of what we say because she has also starting copying what we say. (She likes to say "what the flip" all the time because of Morgan.")

For me, I'm just trying to keep up with everyone and still take care of my responsibilities. I'm right in the middle of getting ready for Girls' Camp. Yeah! This year, I'm an advisor to 3rd Year girls (14 yr old). Our theme for the year is "Follow the Son". So everything revolves around Christ and his teachings. We had a camp meeting this morning with our cabins and we spent the morning making our signs with a cabin name the girls came on with (Sun Babes) and working on their skit and other little things. It was great fun and it gave us a little glimpse of what our week at camp is going to be like this year. I can't wait.

So there you go. That's us. Busy Busy Busy but who isn't? I love you all. I'll read you again soon (or post)! Have a wonderful weekend.

Dorius Update

Hi! I am tickled that we are all getting more active on here! I had envisioned such and agree with Nicole... we can't be close in person or telephone very often...but we can here! *GRIN*

We are hanging in there. ;) We have started some paperwork for a loan modification for our second mortgage. It could save us hundreds each month. I look back and am not sure how, but we survived from the end of Dec. through April with little to no work for JWD Electric. I know all our credit lines are maxed & our savings is gone... but even that couldn't have gotten us through... It's been hairy. Jess has been working more since April.. not 40 hours a week by any means... but working. :) Tithing brings blessings only the Lord can offer. And we are SO very grateful.

My work is picking up some. We closed on a house across the street from me while we were in Arizona. That makes it so I can get groceries. :) Gave them a huge a deal on commission (family rate because they were going to use us to buy)...only to have it go wrong. It is disappointing to learn how many people want ya to work your guts out for nothing. I keep telling myself it will eventually come back to bless us for being so kind and we will get an honest wage somewhere else. *sigh* I have quite a few possibles... and multiple clients looking/having to sell first etc... but I try to never count my chickens before they hatch... and before I am done and have completely earned what I make. I am still sitting at the Subdivision a couple of times a week. Our builder has a home that will be in the Parade of Homes starting tomorrow... so we are all praying for a pick up! (especially with the new $8k credit!) And I am thankful for the chance to sit down for a minute here though and give ya'll an update while I use up my shift of time here at our "ghetto trailer"! ;)

I like my new calling... though the research is quite time consuming! Emergency Preparedness is a HUGE subject area. Maria and I (my real estate partner, bishop's wife, best friend & co-E.P. specialist) are going to try to get Disaster Plans for the Neighborhood going. It is a BIG undertaking, but we both feel the urgency to do it. Should be an adventure. ;)

Emmalee is growing fast. She wears my shoes now, is almost the same bra size as me(sorry uncles!), is taller than her Gram (Jess' mom) and is dying to not be growing up so soon. She loves homeschooling... and has done more power point presentations on what she has learned than I can count! She was able to be in the same Hope Of America Concert as the boys, and I did get pics that I will post as soon as I can (2businesses plus regular "post-vacation chaos" and that just does not get to be high on the priority list right now darn it!) LOL She loved Arizona! She had a great time with the girl cousins, though the teenage drama was a little more than she could handle...LOL. She is a peacemaker child and does not do well with constant irrational contention. I pray it continues through HER teenage years and we can stay close. :)

Cody is doing awesome! My biggest hopes for his homeschooling career may have been manifest yesterday. One of the things he was struggling with was wanting to play with friends or be social...he always said no! Since starting homeschooling his personality has blossomed! He has such a quick wit and a cute sense of humor! He had one of the kids in our neighborhood call and ask if he could play... the one with severe ADHD that he has completely avoided because he was just too much for Cody's quiet personality. Cody said yes! He went to his house to play... they played there and then came to our house to play! And they played SOO well together!! I was thrilled beyond belief! Cody was so patient with him and they really had a good time. It tickled me to pieces! He of course is excelling in schooling. We have exhausted the interest of DNA and genetic modification...for now...and we are now on to solar energy. *grin* He is almost all done with his Bear book and is really excited for the Weeblos camp next weekend with his dad (they are letting him go because he is close within 30 days of becoming a Weeblos)

Cameron is a pickle. Sometimes he is SO sweet and other times he is a sour puss. He re-broke his arm, hates to do school work for me, is really emotional about his best friend moving the end of June, and could live on the computer playing webkinz, or any other virtual reality type games if we would let him. He gives the best hugs ever, loves you deep and long, and keeps us on our toes. He still has NO sense of time. He has figured out the art of manipulation and is not too crazy about mom and dad's rule of "what did your mom/dad say?". *giggle* We are almost through Alma in his Book of Mormon reading before his baptism next January. (btw - Uncle B & fam: if you'd like to try and come we would LOVE to have you!) He loves Piggies in a Pancake and would eat them for every meal if he could! :)

Caleb. Oh man oh man Caleb. He is so much fun! On the way to AZ he snuck into the snack box (that's what I get for putting it next to him!) and ate an entire GIANT sized Hershey's bar. From Phoenix to Tucson we could not figure out why he would NOT be quiet!! His mouth went a hundred miles a minute! We laughed so hard when we figured it out. The poor boy was on a huge sugar/caffeine rush!! He LOVED AZ and STILL asks if we are in AZ. He loves motel rooms/condos. ?? It is a hoot. Any and all we drive by now he wants to know if we are staying there. LOL! This boy likes vacations! ;)

We really did enjoy our trip to Tucson for Kayelani's Graduation. It was lovely!! It was so fun to see McOmber's so happy to see Grandpa and Margean, and even more so to spend a little time with him and then stay and spend some extra time with them. KK has a really nice boy she is dating and each night the 6 of us adults would stay up and play games until all hours. The last night we were shocked to realize it was almost 3am UTAH time! LOL. I felt so very loved by our Heavenly Father while we were there... it had been in the 100's the week before we went down. It even hit 110 in Phoenix on our car temp gauge as we drove through. We arrived in Tucson to cloud cover... and it stayed the ENTIRE time we did!! It lightly misted rain a few times and never got above 85! Jess and I were both REALLY concerned about how my heart would do... but with the exception of a few times of needing to lay down, my heart did FANTASTIC! Heavenly Father really does create miracles in our lives if we choose to see them that is for sure! Everyone kept saying Tucson weather is NEVER like that. Storms fly in and out and temps roller coaster all over. I was SO greatly appreciative of the tempered weather I can't even explain! What a humbling experience!

We have been working together the last few evenings on building a chicken coop. It is fancy. Jess laughed and said "Son of a Utah Home Builders Assoc Superintendent of the Year had better build a good one!" LOL He is making the plan up as we go... it will end up looking like a little school house I think! The kids and I are debating on painting a bell on the front and making a sign that says "Hen High school" or "Poultry Preschool"! LOL The chickens are doing great! Well... except one. She is still SO tiny! I named her Wilbur. She is a Bandee chicken and looks like she has only grown a week since we got her! Jess had to give her a bath the other night because she was so pooped on. She is the sweetest little thing and holds her own though!

We added to our zoo-like qualities while in AZ. The kids wanted a gecko and I made the mistake of saying "if you can catch one you can keep it". Ha ha on me. We now have a lovely little Mediterranean House Gecko. His name is Gilligan, Gilligan the Gecko. Cody is officially in charge of him and LOVES it! Now we have chickens, a Yorkie, 3 frogs, a tankful of fish, a gecko and a hamster. My life is complete?? Bwahahahah

Katina... I will add peace for you all to my prayers as well. That seems like the only real avenue available at this exact moment - and I hate to say it - but wouldn't that just burn *her* up to know she has not effected you and your family? It makes her seem more like the problem that she is as well! Your children will feel your peace and WANT to stay. ((hugs)) and prayers!

Nicole... I really appreciate all you have written. You are much more than a sister-in-law that is for sure! I feel so blessed to have 3 wonderful sisters on this side of my family now! I know we have had our baggage as a family, but I know we are stronger for it. And we have a history all our own that is for sure! :) May God Bless the Stoddard family as we strive to be closer and honor and support one another in our struggles!

Thanks for reading this novel! WOW! I DO need to update more often! And I will have pics soon as well!! Gotta run! Home Depot is calling... LOL!

Something I Read

Hey Everyone,

I was reading my conference edition of the Ensign and came across this quote from Elder Cook's talk "Our Father's Plan-Big Enough for All His Children." He quoted John 16:55 which says, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (I read this address shortly after Katina posted her comments of what they're struggling through right now and I've been meaning to post it for a day or two.) I love this scripture because it tells me that not matter the pain I'm going through, I know that I can turn to my Savior and He knows what I am going through and that can give me peace. And, boy, does that cheer me up. We suffer trials and tribulation for our growth but knowing that Christ knows our pain and struggles lets us know where we can turn for relief.

I also loved this other quote from Elder Cook's talk too, "...be loving and kind to members of our own faith, regardless of their level of commitment or activity. The Savior has made it clear that we are not to judge each other. This is especially true of members of our own families. Our obligation is to love and teach and never give up. The Lord made salvation 'free to all men' but has 'commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance.'"

My family and our Stoddard family (and a few extentions) are perfect examples of this comment. Those of us that are stronger in the gospel need not "force feed" the gospel to those that are still trying to find out where they fit in. Today I was feeding Kate at the table and as I struggled to make sure that she was getting what she needs to sustain her energy if not add weight to her tiny body, I realized that I couldn't force open her mouth and put food into it with the expectation that she would swallow it down. She still has choice. A time or two, she would open her mouth and the food would drop into her lap or she would actually swallow it. The same holds true with those we share the gospel with. We can share our testimony with those we love but we can't force them to take it in with the expectation that they will let it sink into their hearts. They still have choice but regardless of that choice, we still love them and share our testimonies if only by our examples.

I love reading the conference addresses. It brings a different light on what I actually heard during conference. I love to read the addresses along with the notes that I took during the sessions to see what more I have learned since the intial address. It's fun to see if the goals I wrote on those days were actually met and applied to my life to this point. For this talk, the goal I made was to stop judging my family (especially my own siblings and parents). I didn't grow up in an ideal home but Heavenly Father didn't leave me alone and without blessings. Regardless of what my childhood was, I know that He loved me and blessed me with parents that tried to make the best of what they had. Could they have done better? Maybe, but I still love them and I will always treasure that they taught me good basic values. Because of them, I love the gospel and developed my own testimony. Because of them, I learned what a parent should be and try to be the mom my Heavenly Father wants me to be for my own children. My parents are good people. They are each in their own struggles, physically and spiritually, but as they continue down their paths, I hope that in some small way, I might be able to help them without them feeling like that I am "force feeding" them.

What was something you were able to read and apply from conference? I would like to know. Our best learning comes from sharing what we have learned with others.

I love you and I look forward to reading your responses.

Nicole

Advice

Thank you for the advice you are right about controlling the actions of others it seems everyday we find out something new that makes it even worse. I think that will be what I start praying for we can certainly use all the peace we can get at our house. I had to laugh when you mentioned the scheduling and calendar it does get crazy about the only way I can keep it all straight is that we have one of those large desk calendars on the wall and everyone has their own color so when they have something we can write it down and even then sometimes it is CRAZY! It is nice to know of the support we have. We will let you know as things progress with Sean and his schooling at some point I would like to be able to go back too. I am glad for the blessings you recieve you are awesome people and deserve them all. Tell everybody we love them!

Thank You For Sharing

Hey Katina - Thank you for sharing what is going on in your family and no, it didn't sound whiney. It's what's going on and if we don't know what's going on, then we don't know where to help or where to celebrate.

I can only imagine how hard it is having the blended family that you all have. I get a headache just thinking about the calendering and scheduling you guys have to keep. If anything, I pray for your sanity in keeping it all straight.

I'm sorry to hear that Nannette isn't being a very good person. I recently visited with a friend who is also dealing with her own blended family issues. Her two oldest children are from a previous marriage and suffer from medical issues that require certain medications. Her ex-husband has started manipulating their medication even though she has given him the strict guidelines that were stipulated by the children's doctor. It's sad when the one parent thinks they can get back at the other parent by using the children. She was telling me and my visiting teaching companion about how she started praying for justice on him because she was so frustrated with the health danger he is now putting their children in. This was a serious topic and we talked for quite some time about it but her advice to our friend, which is something you might want to think about, is to pray for peace, some type of understanding and strength for herself. We can't control actions the actions of others, we can only control our own. When we pray about us and our response to situations, we will have the Spirit to be with us more and Heavenly Father will hold each of us responsible for our actions.

To Sean, Brent and I so support you both in your decision to go back to school. It has been really good for Brent personally (as well professionally) going back to school. We have seen our financial outlook increase but more importantly, it has freed us to serve more. I know that this is what Heavenly Father wants for us. He helped Brent get this education not only to better our family but to better those around us. We have had numerous doors and opportunities open that we would not have with we continued on the path we were headed when we first moved here to Washington. Don't get me wrong, we are not rolling in the money, we make each and every paycheck work with very little wiggle room but because Heavenly Father has blessed us with a larger income, our focus is less on the bank account and more on serving those around us.

We love you guys and you are in our prayers. I know that Heavenly Father will bless you with peace and you will know how to handle the situation with Nannette. I know that you both are trying very hard to be Christlike with her and Heavenly Father will help your children see that and live by your example. Keep the faith and endure to the end!

Nicole

Sean, Katina & Family

Well, I must apologize I have been bad at posting, but i am making a goal t try to start doing so more often, since I often have time at night since I find it hard to sleep with Sean gone. So from the top Sean is still working at the hospital and he has decided what he would really like to go into is respiratory therapy. This will start with him having to go to a two year program somewhere we are thinking UVU and then he will be able to take the respiratory portion via satallite at Utah valley. We are having a very horrible, terrible no good time with Nanette right now. We are at a loss of what to pray for anymore where that situation is concerned. It has gotten quite ugly as of late and shows no signs of getting better anytime soon in fact we are quite certain it will be getting worse before it ever gets better. We have tried so hard to be Christlike towards her all for naught! It is extremely frustrating!!!! Sean has finally decided that the time has come that he must stop being a nice guy and just leave her no wiggle room the law is the law is the law period no playing nice or allowin her to have extras or try to play like she is the victim when it is really the kids! I support him in this it is hard and takes its toll on our family every other week like clockwork......We try to be nice but sometimes I have to be quite honest I feel like we are dealing with our own personal version of hell personified in the boys Mom. However not all is bad! We have had a secret from the kids since January......we finally told them on the 3rd of May we are going to Disneyland this summer! Sean and I after much prayerful consideration decided that our tax return this year so go to one last bang up vacation. After this summer Tony will be 18 and will be under no obligation to spend any time with us if he chooses not to and unfortunately to our deepest and greatest sadness we feel we are losing him more and more each day that he lives with his Mother. So, we decided that for our last summer before we start losing kids to age and their own lives that we should make it a truly memorable one. So Disneyland came in to view we worked on it we planned we plotted and we made it happen. We will be leaving June 7th and returning June 13th. I was so excited to be able to tell the kids, that when we did, I had tears in my eyes. Because of court and other shinanigans pulled every summer by a certain person we have yet to have a vacation that lasted more than a few days with the kids since being married so we are so excited to finally pull it off! Sean is so excited that we told them at his prodding a full 2 weeks before we had originally planned it was so fun to see him animated like that. I still have my calling as a den leader for the scouts it is getting a bit better but is still very unorganized and frustrating most of the time I am trying to have a better attitude about it and enjoy being in there with Kole. It is fun to be in it with him and to get to plan and help him accomplish the goals. I am still job hunting though. I love being a Mom to all of the kids and seeing how they grow and learn so much. Tony I have mentioned he is not doing any better in school still does not have a driver's license and has changed quite a bit from the Tony we knew when he lived here. we just continue to pray for him and try to help where we can......:-( Billy has truly blossomed this last school year he has become a wonderful young man full of life and happiness. He is so excited to be able to share his upcoming birthday with Bethani his little birthday present as he calls her. Unfortunately a cloud has drifted over him as well since he is being repeatedly pressured from his Mom to say that he wants to go live there since he will be 15 in June. Sean is deeply regreting ever agreeing to this clause now.... hindsight and all. Joey is turning into a teenager in every sense of the word! he has a girl he likes her name is Kiara he has the tips of his hair bleached (sanctioned by Dad hated by Mom) a cell phone (bought by Mom, Dad lied to about it for quite awhile.....) But he is funny and growin so fast he is taller than Jenny now and is shooting for me! AJ is struggling as well he made it back to where he needed to be but was in danger of having to repeat 4th grade for most of the school year. However he found that he loves to sing and was in the school chorus and did really well. He was in the Hope of America choir that sang in the Marriott center to a full audience on May 5th. It was an awesome sight we were so glad he got to be a part of something like that. I am so proud of Kole! He brought home a certificate from school today recognizing him for outstanding performance on the IOWA tests for Grade 3. He scored in the top 10 percent nationally! In Reading, Core total, Mathematics and Total composite. It is signed by his principal, the state superintendent of public instruction and the Utah state board of education. I just thought that was so cool. Kole also was in the Hope of America show he and a small group from his school performed in the pre show they did 2 songs out on the floor on May 6th and did awesome too! Bobby is the funniest little kid I have met in a long time! He is such a goof! He is getting ready to graduate 1st grade and is doing pretty well in school he is all boy though and has more scabs and bruises from falling down.....he rode a skateboard down the hill by our house in flip flops the other day! Nut! He ended up needing 3 bandaids and a serious shower scrubbing after that! Trinity is getting ready to graduate Kindergarten she has grown a lot this year too both physically and educationally. She is also pretty funny and her and Bobby love to play together when they can. She has taken up writing letters to her cousin Lilly that lives in Pennsylvania and they enjoy sending things back and forth she has a harder time with reading but is starting to get that too. Last but not least Bethani she is almost a year old! Where has the time gone.....She finally crawled properly when we were at Jenny's house on Friday little stink. Too many people to haul her around I guess. She makes all kinds of funny faces and jabbers quite a lot now. She says Dad, Mom, Hi, Grandma(as long as grandma isn't in the room), Stubby and we are working on Jenny. She also waves, dances and sings la la la la la la la with Sean she is a music LOVER. I lost my camera after Hope of America part 2 with the memory card in it....grrrrrr and we just got a new one so I will try to post some pictures but I haven't quite figured out the new one all the way yet. I hope this doesn't sound too whiney I felt like Nicole asked and I should tell what was really going on and the things we are really struggling with since telling the sugar coated version wouldn't really help you know what was going on or what to pray for. I do want you all to know that I love being part of the Stoddard family and that we are grateful for everyday we have to enjoy our children who are our greatest blessings and joy despite the trials that come with a blended family. We have never wished that we hadn't gotten married and we can't believe that on June 8th it will have been 3 years since we said I do. We know that Heavenly Father is with us and pray that someday all of this will work out for the best and that we will know how best to lead and guide all of our children to be the best they can be. It seems to be something that will never happen at the moment but we try to keep a good outlook. We have been through a lot together and know that if it doesn't kill us we will find a way through it together and it will make us stronger. I thank you on behaf of all of us for any prayers you send our way. We pray for you too! If there are any questions you still have or something you want more information on just let me know. I will try to post again soon in keeping with my new goal :-P I am sorry about the punctuation or lack there of I am horrible at it. Sean laughs at me! I can type pretty fast, I can spell but I can't punctuate very well at all.....Oh well! Keep smiling! We love all of you and appreciate your love and support.

What is Family?

That is my question to you. What does family mean to you? For me, it's connection. It's knowing who I am and where I belong. I love my family. I wish I heard from them more often so that I can strengthen my bond with them. I some respects I am responsible for hearing from them. Communication is a two way street. When Heather started this blog, I was excited because I saw this as a way for all of us to communicate with each other. Remember, Brent and I are 800+ miles away and picking up the phone isn't always the easiest thing to do. For me, I write better than I speak and the written word flows more easily than those coming from my mouth. Besides that, I can print the words from the screen to read over and over again. I can't do that with a phone call. Please post! I want to know what you're all doing. I want to make my prayers more meaningful rather than praying that your needs are being met. I would love to hear updates on Sean's pursuit to continuing education or seeing more pictures of what the nieces and nephews are up to. I would love to hear how Jenny and Clint are liking their new home and pictures (I didn't get an opportunity to see their new home when we were down in December). Heather, I love your family blog site and I check it often. I feel like you have done a lot to keep everyone connected. You have made efforts to let everyone around you know whats going on with one central location without having to tell the story over and over again. It was especially useful when you were having your heart surgery. We appreciated having that to keep us updated. My hope is that we can be more consistent with our own blog so that you can have updated information too. I haven't been as consistent as Heather but she has certainly set the bar high. Mom and Dad, I hope that you are reading this too. I love you. You are my Mom and Dad as much as my own parents are and in some respects, much more. I want to know what you guys are doing too. I would love to read some insights of how you are seeing things. You are the heads of this family and we can all benefit from your wisdom and guidance and what better place to do it than here. Like I said earlier, we can print it and read it over and over again.

I know it's not easy to stay connected and that it what Satan wants. It is his plan to destroy families and if he has his way, we would be miserable like him. Let's fight this. Let's stay close. We all need it. Our children are going to need it as they grow and become adults too. Let us be the example of what family is.

So, what is family to you?

I love you ALL! I love the Stoddard family. I have always felt good and at peace about my choice to marry Brent. He has been an excellent friend, husband and father and I know it's because of the example of his family. I know he developed his love of the gospel in your home growing up and I want my children to have a love for the gospel in our home but also from their extended family. The family is central in Heavenly Father's plan for a purpose. We are the core. Let us remember this and continue to strengthen ours.

I Love Couponing!

I just wanted to show you all what my newest hobby is. I can't believe I let all these years go by with not doing this. It feels so good being able to use what we have been given in such a way that as we get our storage together, we can than help bless others as well. Check out our blog site for the complete story!

I hope that you are all well. We're doing good and greatly anticipating the end of the school year. Though we have an extremely busy summer ahead of us, we are looking forward to not having a school schedule to deal with. We certainly wished that coming that way this summer were in those plans but with Scouts, Activity Day Girls, Trek and Girl's Camp, we are looking at mid-August before we can actually say we have nothing going on just in time to start preparing for school to start all over again! Oh well. Bring on the fun.

I love you all and hope you are doing well. Have a great week.

Nicole