Crazy Life!

So- awakening (before 7-I know, I know, this is NORMAL to some of you) to cries, kicks and whines is NOT the way to start a day. In fact, my heart sank. Gavin should not have been awake. He needs to sleep in or he is beastly all day! My middle child has been a bit of a struggle lately. He fights with his brother all the time, begs to be held no matter what I'm doing, is "vewee, vewee hungee!" on the hour, but refuses to eat ANYTHING I suggest and throws tantrums when he doesn't get his way. And, to make things worse, Jos is now playing off of it...he suggests things Gav should ask me for (knowing he will cry when he can't get them), teases Gav and fights just as much. For an example, Gavin loves 'hannas (lizard-short for Mohanna, our gekko) and pretends to find and catch them everywhere. Yesterday he was doing his lizard-hunting stuff and pretended to have a few. Two were blue another green. He was holding them, petting them, etc. Josiah asked if he could hold one, so Gav very tenderly put one in his hand. Josiah then gobbled it up! It sent Gavin crazy! Tears, shouts, punches thrown!!! I tried to remind everyone involved it was IMAGINARY, but try telling that to a 2 year old and a 5 year old tormentor. *SIGH*

On the upside, Gavin makes me smile often (less so lately, but I still get a few chuckles). We wanted to have him so badly and got pregnant instantly. He loves me and everyone so much. His eyes totally sparkle when he's happy and his imagination is out of this world. He loves Gunnison (to a fault) and always wants to help me take care of "Gunna". If I didn't have Gav, I wouldn't have The Underwear Pirate! (Just remind me I'll look back at these days and smile!)

Life

Have you ever looked at your life and wondered "How in the world did I get here?" It doesn't have to be in a negative context, but just "How did life happen to turn out like this?". Sometimes I stand back and look at my 3 little boys with their red hair and big brown (and blue) eyes and wonder "How did I get to be a mommy?" I know this sounds silly, but if you've ever experienced this, you know what I mean. I have a husband in the Coast Guard, we are living in Alabama, I am not just a mother, but a BoyMamma of 3 boys! How am I in the Primary Presidency, how is Kit the Young Men's President...how did I come to have saggy boobs and a saggy belly?!! As a girl in Utah, attending Sky View High, this wasn't what I expected my life to be. I wouldn't have known to dream up such an existence!

And yet...how did I not dream of the best possible life for me? How did I not see that I live each day full of love for my 3 little beasties?! How did I not dream a life by the water, enjoying the fishing, beaching and waves? How did I not dream of a husband full of love for me, one who is CRAZY sometimes, but excuses me my craziness, too? How did I not see a future of a husband in the service, which would create a strong patriotism inside?

I am SO very thankful to my Heavenly Father for helping me find the best possible dream to come true! I might not see the ins and outs or the hows and whys, but I do see the Lord's hands in my life. How very grateful I am for a Heavenly Father who loves me and guides me in this twisty-turny life!!!

HaaHaa! Is this me?

I saw this on a friend's blog...I thought her name fit her, but most of this just isn't really me! What Liberty Means

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are full of energy. You are spirited and boisterous. You are bold and daring. You are willing to do some pretty outrageous things. Your high energy sometimes gets you in trouble. You can have a pretty bad temper at times. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

The Marzipan Incident

Ever had an OBSESSION? Something you needed to do immediately, simply couldn't get enough of, or use common sense about? I may have (a few times), but this is one (semi-)endearing characteristic of my husband that pops up frequently. Marzipan, desire for cheese-making, bonzai tree-creating, real root beer -making, pickeling...to name a few...are some obsessions of my husband. He keeps me on my toes with these quirky desires that pop up. Don't worry, they usually don't stress me, they mostly make me smile. After growing up a bit, he has recognized his typical symptoms and can determine if it is a "Marzipan Moment" or a true desire he would like to follow through with. He has come up with a brilliant (and comical) way to deal with these moments. He has created his own blog http://www.themarzipanincident.blogspot.com/ where he will feature the obsession of the moment. Hooray for my dear love! He has found an economically feasible way to fulfill his heart's (many) desires and a way to make me smile and laugh in the process. I love him and will be eagerly watching to see his newest post and obession!

Things I Love

The beautiful, gnarly trees with their branches stretching across Spring Hill Ave. The Spanish moss just drips and conjures phrases like "Fiddle-de-dee" "Tara" and "Rhett, darling"

Gunner grinning up at me with dribbles of baby cereal dripping out of the corner of his mouth (ewww, but sooo cute!)

The ache of muscles (some I didn't know I had!) from working hard in the yard for a couple of days-30 piles of leaves, 20 bags filled and a huge stack of branches! I am woman (uggh, I hate that word) with 3 boys and hear me roar!!!

The smile lines at the corner of my handsome hubby's gorgeous eyes. When they crinkle, it makes my tummy flutter! He is one good-looking guy and he is aging VERY well! Yummy!

Watching Gavin pedal his bike around yelling "I am Super Gavin!" and making the boy-est super hero sounds

Listening to Josiah's reasons he is an expert...on the subject of the day

Having a husband who wishes he could spoil me, but due to lack of funds glumly treats me only to a bag of PB M&Ms...don't worry honey, mmmmm, they are SO better than rubies (maybe not fresh, green emeralds, but definitely better than rubies) !!!

Walking in to see "Mom I luv yoo" on the boys' chalk board

Feeling the warmth of the sun and the waft of the breeze. I love spring in Alabama!!!

What is in a name?

Steph had this on her blog and I thought it was fun. I was a little disappointed, however. My new names aren't too cool..bah!

My rock star name (first pet and current car):

Tanna Venture

My gangsta name (favorite candy bar and favorite cookie):

Butterfinger (sounds better "Butta- finger") Chocolate Chip

My detective name (favorite color and favorite animal):

Green Dog

My Star Wars name (first three letters of last name and first two letters of first name then the word "of" then a medication you are on):

Appli-of-Nothing

My superhero name (2nd favorite color and favorite drink with "The" in front):

The Red Barq's

My Nascar name (first names of your grandfathers):

Monte Gilbert

My "lover" name (name of your favorite perfume/cologne and your favorite candy):

Lucky PB M&Ms

Witness-protection name (mother's and father's middle names):

Jo Reed

Josiah Christian Applegate: One of Kit's zone leaders on his mission was named Josiah. He was very inspirational and a strong, spiritual missionary. On my mother's side, my great-great grandfather was also named Josiah and was known for being an upright, honest man. King Josiah was a boy king who chose to put the Lord first. We wanted our son to have a name full of spiritual strength. Christian is Kit's given name. It is tradition in his family to give the first born son the name of his father as his middle name (ie, Christian Michael). I love the tradition and I think Josiah's name is beautiful!

Gavin Reed Applegate: Kit and I chose Gavin's name together very quickly. We had his name picked out before we were even expecting. We simply liked the name Gavin. When we chose it, it wasn't as common (or so we thought) as it is today. Reed is my father's name. Another example of spiritual strength for our sons to rely on. My father is a wonderful man in my eyes and I want my sons to grow to have his strengths.

Gunnison Michael Applegate: Again, we chose Gunnison's name before we knew we were pregnant. We had been reading a baby book and stumbled across his name and knew it fit our next son. It is a long name for a little boy, but again, the name is full of strength. Michael is my father-in-law's name. He is yet another spiritual giant I want my sons to emulate. I want my boys to see their names and understand the wealth of respect and love Kit and I have for these men. These men have their faults, but their greatness supersedes them. I want them to respect their name-sakes and live up to the names chosen for them. I want them to grow beyond their faults and live up to their potential, spiritual greatness. I love you, my three strong spirited boys!!!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety-Jigg!

Our wonderful week is over. Not only did I get to have my sister here to celebrate my birthday with me, but my mom surprised me by coming, too!!! It was such a wonderful surprise. We had a blast. Of course our week comprised mostly of shopping...seriously though, we hit my fabulous thrift-store twice (you know it is fabulous when you can spend $30 on bags of clothes priced $2 and under-I literally would have spent over a hundred dollars on the things I found this week) and took a trip to Tanger Outlet for birthday shopping. My mom got me a pair of darling black wedge sandals and my sister got me a pair of fabulous neutral sandals. It was sooo fun! I haven't had new shoes for a while! My sister-in-law sent me some cute CAbi clothes, one of which is a beautiful tunic top. I simply love it! Kit and I got Green Pans from my mother-in-law. The list goes on...I won't keep listing, or I'll feel way too spoiled! It truly was a wonderful birthday.

It is always hard to say good-bye, but this was not as hard as other times. I was able to say good-bye knowing the boys and I would be heading to Oklahoma next month for Mack's graduation. Hooray! Four weeks will simply fly by!

It is great having Kit home. He was supposed to be home yesterday evening, but due to delays, he arrived home this morning. The boys and I always miss him when he's gone. He came home bearing gifts--Astronaut ice cream and fruit for the boys. They have been pretending to be in space all morning. The surprises Kit brings home are always a fun treat.

We're thankful everyone made it home safely! I love you all!!!

Wonderful Weekend

I'm excited for the arrival of this weekend. I love General Conference. Despite the fact I can't curl up and watch it on the TV (alas, no satelite), I will be curling up to attempt to listen to it via the computer. I say attempt because I DO have children. Anyone with children will agree that you can only attempt anything. I hope to overcome the wiggles with a conference activity book my friend emailed me. So, here's hoping!! I love to hear the words of our Prophet. I love the opportunity to re-evaluate my life. Well, more honestly I welcome it and fear it. I hate the feelings of failure that creep in...but, that is where trusting the Lord comes in. If I can relax and let the Spirit touch my heart to make it an uplifting experience, I WILL grow and become who I want to be.

I am also excited for my sister, Stephanie, coming. What!? Wasn't she just there? Yes, she was. I know, I know, I'm absolutely spoiled!! Kit needed to go out of town this upcoming week for some training and my birthday happens to be this week. My loving sister hated the thought I would be alone (with children) for the big day, so she is coming. I also need to send out a gi-normous and heartfelt thanks to my brother-in-law, Phillip. He is willing to send my sis to me and stay home to watch their two boys. Thank you!