Meet Hissa

Tate LOVES snakes! Obviously. What little boy doesn't love them? So when I saw THIS tutorial and how easy it was to make, I immediately went to work.

It took approximately 2 minutes to find the material (an old sheet just taking up space in the linen closet), 3 minutes to measure and tear a long strip of fabric, and 5-10 minutes to sew a long rectangle body. Then I had Tate and Melanie stuff the snake with some cotton. They used Tate's toy broom to reach the cotton all the way down through the snake's body. Since Melanie had to leave early, she didn't get to enjoy the very funnest part of all-coloring on it!

Since I was in charge of the Family Home Evening activity last night, I decided that we would all color it together. Tate loved having Mommy and Daddy help him color his snake. We probably spent 30 minutes alone making designs and shapes all over the little snake which Tate named HISSA.

Cousin Friend

We got to have Melanie and Spencer over for a couple of hours this afternoon. Spencer slept most of the time, but Tate and Melanie had lots of fun and got along really well. They played games together and we made something cute which I'll share tomorrow.

Sunday Sacrament Talks

{My sister is the BEST Mommy. Just had to share this adorable picture.}

Bryan and I both gave talks in Sacrament Mtg. on Sunday. He spoke on submissiveness and I spoke on obedience. In preparing for my talk, I had the feeling to share about the hymn "Do What is Right". The words to the song are:

1. Do what is right; the day-dawn is breaking,
   
   Hailing a future of freedom and light.
   
   Angels above us are silent notes taking
   
   Of ev’ry action; then do what is right!
   
   
   
   [Chorus]
   
   Do what is right; let the consequence follow.
   
   Battle for freedom in spirit and might;
   
   And with stout hearts look ye forth till tomorrow.
   
   God will protect you; then do what is right!
   
   
   
   2. Do what is right; the shackles are falling.
   
   Chains of the bondsmen no longer are bright;
   
   Lightened by hope, soon they’ll cease to be galling.
   
   Truth goeth onward; then do what is right!
   
   
   
   3. Do what is right; be faithful and fearless.
   
   Onward, press onward, the goal is in sight.
   
   Eyes that are wet now, ere long will be tearless.
   
   Blessings await you in doing what’s right!

I thought it was pretty awesome how the Sacrament Meeting rest hymn just happened to be this same song...



I focused my talk on the blessings that we receive from being obedient to God's commandments (happiness, peace, companionship of the Holy Ghost, etc.)



Overall I'd say our talks went well. As much as I dread given talks in sacrament meeting, when all is said and done I'm always grateful for the experience.

It's Autumn Time!

Since my birthday is in October, I always get cute fall decorations from everyone which works great for me! I pulled them all out yesterday and decorated the house.

And... my sister gave me an ugly brown wooden stand the other day used to hold DVD's which I transformed into a cute little holiday shelf. As you can see, I painted it white. Since I'm seriously the worlds worst painter, I had to sand up the edges a bit to make it look half decent. It's funny how everything I paint ends up with the antiqued sanded look when I don't usually start the project with that in mind.

Ice Skating

Bryan and I took Tate ice skating on Friday at the new Polar Ice in Gilbert. It was awesome because hardly anyone was there and so Tate had plenty of room to practice.

For those of you interested, Polar Ice offers two free classes to children or adults who've never taken lessons before. I just thought I'd pass that tidbit onto you. Were going to try it in December... Click HERE for more info on free lessons.

My Mountain

On Thursday Bryan was out servicing a pool close to Gold Canyon (where we had lived for the past 5 years before moving back into town in April), and asked me if I would bring him some chlorine tablets that he had accidentally left. So Tate and I got to enjoy the nice 25 minute drive out to the base of the Superstition Mountains.

Driving closer to the mountain brought back LOTS of memories. I couldn't stop thinking about Hannah. She was my first baby. Hannah had anencephaly (meaning she didn't develop a brain). There was no chance of survival for her, and she was stillborn back in 2003. I was 5 months pregnant. Hannah was cremated and her ashes were sprinkled in the Superstition Mountains. Ever since that time the Superstition Mountains were really "My Mountain".

Tate recently learned the story of his "almost" sister. So as we drove together and gazed upon the mountain, he had a million questions about Hannah. He even shed a tear or two.

Losing Hannah has been hard (for all of us). But I'm confident that things happen for a reason. I believe that trials are what we make of them-if we approach them wisely, then we can actually grow and be strengthened from them. Which in turn can lead to happiness.

I'm so grateful for "My Mountain", and most importantly what it reminds me of.

Edaede

At school Tate recently learned that the phonogram "ed" makes three sounds...

"ed" as in graded

"d" as in loved

"t" as in wrecked

Then today he wrote the letters Edaede on a paper and told me that it was his name.

At first I couldn't understand why he was doing this. Then it occured to me that he was using the 3rd sound of "ed" to write his name.

Tate is definitely a "think outside the box" kind of kid...

Clay Whistles

It's been 6 weeks since Tate started Kindergarten, so today we had our PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE with Tate's teacher to discuss how he's doing so far. And... he's doing great! So far he has all straight A's, she said that he's excelling and doing a very good job learning his letters, numbers, shapes, etc.

Since Tate's school teacher has the same last name as us, she said that sometimes Tate will accidentally call her Grandma S. instead of Mrs. S. (which I thought was pretty funny).

Tate went over to Joseph & Christina's house while Bryan and I went to the conference. Uncle Joe taught Tate how to make clay whistles (something that he's been talking about making for a LONG time). Joseph let Tate choose the colors, mix them together, roll out the clay, and form it into a ball. Tate had such an awesome time feeling like he was making it all by himself. Joseph then did the hard part of forming it just right and poking the holes where they needed to be. After waiting for the whistles to cook and cool, Tate went to town with his whistling. He literally whistled ALL afternoon and evening (taking a small break while we were at the store). Thanks Uncle Joe. Tate thinks that you are the coolest uncle ever.

I'll Miss YOU Jessika!

I mentioned Jessika in a previous post... She lives in Washington State and was baptized a couple of months ago by my brother Thomas who is serving his mission there. Anyways, she has been staying with her Aunt here in AZ and we've had such a wonderful time getting to know her. Today was really awesome because she was able to go to the temple for her first time to do baptisms. I'm so happy that I could be there too.
But now I'm sad because Jessika is going back home in the morning... and I'm going to miss her. Seriously how do I explain the feeling of becoming good friends with someone in a short period of time (someone who I totally click with) and then they have to leave? I can't.

Sopes

If you've never had SOPES before, than you're missing out big time... They are very similar to PUPUSAS (made with masa and fried in oil). The biggest difference between sopes and pupusas are that the toppings-beans, cheese, meat is on the outside versus the inside.

I don't have a recipe, but if you want to make them just mix up some masa, salt to taste, and a few teaspoons water (if needed) to form a pattie. Fry in hot oil and top with whatever toppings you like. I usually stick with black beans, cotija cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and salsa.
Obviously this isn't the healthiest meal in the world, but it is divine so I make it every now and again!

All I've Got.

So I've dragged my camera around with me all weekend long and these are the only 2 pictures I've got. Definitely not my very favorite, but they work...
Anyhow, the first is Tate at his 2nd soccer game (which was not as exciting as the 1st BTW). Tate just wasn't that into it. It was quite obvious that he was ONLY there to socialize! At one point during the game, he even asked to go on break.

At primary today Tate told his teacher that she was fat! I wasn't there when it happened, so when his teacher came up to me after church to tell me how much she loved Tate and how we are doing such a great job raising him I just said thank-you. I was a little surprised when I found out later in the day from the Primary President about the little incident.

Thankfully Daddy had a big long talk with Tate about the importance of being nice to other people. Tate felt sorry, so I suggested that he make her a bead necklace, bring it over to her house, and apologize to her. So that's what he did.

I just want to say how much I LOVE being a Mother and all of the challenges that come with it. I'm not a perfect Mom by any means, but I try, and by trying I learn something new every day.

My Blessing Dress

I know this is totally random... But the other day I was reading in my baby book about my baby blessing. I read about how my Mother had made me a gorgeous white blessing gown with pin tucks and small buttons and a lovely bonnet to match. After reading this I was curious as to why I had never seen this dress before or any pictures of my blessing at all. So I asked my Mom about it and she immediately went to her closet and pulled out my blessing gown. I can't even begin to describe the excitement that I had at that moment... First of all I had no idea that this dress even existed, and second of all I am so happy that it is homemade. My Mother is the best!!!

Bath Tub Letters

Tate used to take morning baths, then it switched to morning showers, now it's back to baths but in the evenings (There's just not enough time in the morning before school). Tate LOVES his bath tub letters. I give him words to spell and then after he spells that word, I give him a new word with one or two letters that are different. Sometimes this little game goes on and on until his fingers start to look like raisins from being in the water so long. Yes, he likes it that much!

Since I promised a freckle picture, Here you go.

In other news...

• Bryan had a job interview this morning with an inspection company located in Scottsdale. It looks promising, so we are crossing our fingers that if it's right then it will happen.

• Dianna (my MIL) had shoulder surgery today. Hope she recovers quickly.

• Today was my 2nd time working as a MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) teacher. I'm the head teacher over the infants, but we share classrooms with the one year olds so we are basically all combined. There are three other teachers in the room and LOTS of little babies. I really enjoy teaching and don't mind a little extra cash as well. It works out perfect because it's only twice a month and it's during the time Tate's in school:)
  

Our Exciting Day!

We decided to take advantage of "Wild Wednesday" today at the Phoenix Zoo. I'm all about getting in free even if it is 100 degrees outside. My sister Christina, baby Craig, cousin Allyssa, and new friend Jessica all came along.

So get this... Jessica lives in Washington State where my brother Thomas (Elder Manning) is currently serving a mission. She was recently baptized (by him) and she is here in Arizona visiting until next Wednesday. It was totally fun getting to hang out with her today!

Here's a CLOSE UP of sweet baby Craig.

Yes, that's my little Tate running through the splash pad with his clothes and tennis shoes on... We DID bring his swim suit with us, but I've become such a LAZY mom that instead of taking the time to help him change, I TOLD him that he could just go play in his clothes. I did get some dirty looks from other Moms, but honestly I could care less. He was practically dry when we left the zoo 20 minutes later anyways:)

Since the zoo closed early (at 2 PM), we decided to go hang out at the AZ Science Center afterward (gotta love the yearly membership). There was hardly anyone there, so that was awesome. We really got to enjoy some of the exhibits that are usually packed. We played for a LONG time with the "Warp Your Image" exhibit.

We stayed at the Science Center all afternoon, came home, ate Salmon with green onions/garlic and freshly squeezed lemon (Tate's all time favorite meal), read some stories, talked for a while, sang a good night song and that was it for Mr. Tate (he was exhausted and out before 7:30). Bryan went to mutual, so I've been sitting here in a quiet house... but now the dishes are calling me. Arrgh. I guess I better do some work before today is over.

Triplet Cousins

Top to Bottom: Miriam, Craig, Spencer

We had Family Home Evening at my brother Jonathan's house last night... My whole family was there, so all 3 of the new babies were together for the first time. It was fun holding each of them (they are all so different) and then laying them down together for a quick picture.

No Training Wheels!

Tate has been asking me quite a few times lately if we could take the training wheels off his bike. Since it was only 95 degrees outside today-I figured that we could spend a little while practicing riding with no training wheels (maybe 1/2 hour or so). But no... Once he started trying there was no giving up until he had it down. It only took him 3 hours to MASTER riding his 2 wheel bike. He can now ride up and down and all around. He still needs a little help starting and stopping, but I figure that he will have both of those things mastered by the time tomorrow is over with.
No one can say he isn't determined! Go Tate!!!

My FREE Hairstylist

My hair was becoming completely unmanageable, so I somehow convinced Bryan to go at it with the scissors and do his best to make it even (although I used the word LEVEL-something I thought that a man in construction could relate to easier). He didn't do too shabby, and it was a free cut... Works for me!

Family Proclamation Page 9

I'm determined to finish this Family Proclamation Scrapbook before the end of the year. I've only got 4 more pages to make! FYI the memorization is coming along quite nicely... It's amazing to me how even little Tate has learned it right along with Bryan and me. Proves that nothing is impossible when you set your mind up to something!

First Soccer Game

Today was a BIG day! Tate played in his first "REAL" soccer game. It was the most hilarious, comical, absolutely adorable, and unforgettable experience ever. For those of you who've ever watched 4 and 5 year olds play soccer, than you know what I'm talking about...
Tate acted completely opposite from how I would have expected out on the field. First of all, he had very little interest in scoring a goal himself. The only thing he cared about was keeping score (which they don't technically do with this age group). Of course he was very happy when one of his team members scored (so that he could up the number)... And he was quick to let everyone know the final score of 7-3.

Not So Happy Kid

I can't deny it... Yesterday was a rough day for Mr. Tate. This is what he looked like the majority of the day, but it only got worse into the evening. He ended up getting grounded before the night was over, and I was very frazzled after the whole ordeal.
The good news is, Tate woke up happy this morning and today was NOT a repeat of yesterday! I guess to be optimistic I'd have to say that the hard times make me much more appreciative of the happy times.

Soccer Fun!

As you can see from the pictures... we're having so much fun with soccer. Bryan is turning out to be "the perfect" coach (maybe I'm just a tad prejudice). He makes it all fun and games for the kids, and Tate is loving every minute of practice. This Saturday (tomorrow) is our first game. We're all excited! So, more pictures to come then.

Makin' Up is FUN to do...

Remember this? Well, I think that the situation is finally under control-but then again only time will tell for sure. We had one of the little girls over to play after school today. They ate cookies, played baby dolls, and played Mario Galaxy on the Wii.

In talking to one of the parents, she suggested that maybe the situation has come about since most of the children in our ward have known each other since they were babies... and throwing another kid into the whole best friend already thing-has just been difficult for all involved.

But knowing Tate, I'm sure that he'll have plenty of best friends soon enough (whether it's them or not).

Daddy Look Alike

Tate found Bryan's hat and sunglasses (the one's he ALWAYS wears), and asked me to take a picture of him wearing them. Honestly, how could I say no to that?
You can't really tell from the picture, but Tate's starting to get some little freckles across his nose-too cute! Maybe I'll have to take a close up one of these days...

Six Flags Magic Mountain

We spent the last day of our mini vacation at Magic Mountain... Bryan's Mother kindly offered to take Tate with her and Natalie to the kiddie area while Bryan and I went on some fun adult roller coasters with the rest of the family. Well, I survived two rides (Viper & X2) before officially deciding that I CAN'T do roller coasters without getting instant headaches. It wasn't very difficult for me to make the decision of hanging out in the kiddie area for the rest of the day, and honestly I find more joy and satisfaction in watching Tate enjoy his kid rides-which he did! The lines were pretty much non-existent in the kids zone (which was awesome), so Tate and Natalie ran from ride to ride (sometimes repeating the same ride up to a dozen times in a row).

Natalie and Tate also had a "Dance Dance Revolution" contest in front of lots of people, and according to the game they both failed (but at least they had plenty of fun trying). It was so cute watching Tate repeat Natalie's moves instead of watching his own screen.

And last but not least... One of Tate (and Natalie's) most favorite things at Magic Mountain was the Kids Karaoke. Tate performed "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and Natalie performed "If we were a Movie" and "Do you Believe in Magic". They both did really good, and thoroughly enjoyed having an audience.
All in all it was a wonderful time. Although next time I'm skipping the BIG rollercoasters and heading straight to the kiddie area! Yeah!!!

{Here's a clip of Natalie singing}

California Sunset

Sunday evening we headed down to the beach again to watch the sun set... It was really a beautiful sight!

LA Temple

We decided to take a little VACATION with the in-laws this weekend... So, we're here in Los Angeles. The temple is on Manning Ave (just thought that was kinda cool). Yesterday was temple day for the family. The adults got to do 1-2 sessions, the teenagers did baptisms, and the kids got to walk around the temple.

In the late afternoon we headed down to the beach and got to enjoy the water and sand.

Baby #3

If you haven't heard yet... Christina (my sister) had her baby (Craig Joseph) on Friday at 3:20ish. He was a big baby for being 2 weeks early-9lbs. 5 ounces. I guess my family is known for having BIG babies though. She ended up having a C-section because he was breach.

It's been quite the experience welcoming 3 new babies into our family in less than a week! Definitely AWESOME to say the least!!! Congratulations Christina and Joseph.

The JOYS of Bus Riding

When Tate started school, I gave him the option of riding the bus... At first he wanted me to drive him to school so that we could "talk" on the way there. I was cool with that (what Mom doesn't love the fact that their child wants to talk with them?) But after the first day, Tate changed his mind and wanted to ride the bus (I think because everyone else was doing it). He's happily ridden the bus ever since and I've been happy for him...

Until recently...

Lately, some of the kids on the morning bus started calling him names and telling him that he stinks (Honestly kids can be so cruel). In fact one day he had a little girl tell him that she was NOT going to let him sit with her and that he stunk, and that she wasn't going to be his friend anymore (I have no idea what the whole stink thing is about-For a fact I know that the kid doesn't stink any more than any one of them). Tate cried on the way to school that day. To this day the kids on the bus still say he stinks and most of them won't sit with him... and I've asked him everyday if he wants to reconsider having me drive him to school, but Tate is pretty insistent on riding the bus.
I think that this whole issue is bothering me the most (this is my little boy here), and it only makes it worse since I know who the mean kids are... and especially since they are in his Primary at church.

So here's my plan (hope it helps the situation)...

1. I'm trying to teach Tate the importance of being kind back (the golden rule)
   
2. I'm going to ask Tate to include these children in his morning and evening prayers
   
3. Sometime soon, Tate and I are going to make cookies and bring them to the kids (particularly this one little girl)
   
4. We're going to invite some of these children over to our house to play (one at a time) so that they can get to know Tate in a good setting, and then hopefully they can see what an awesome kid Tate is...

I realize that these are issues that all children face in school at one time or another. But I'm a little surprised to see it begin at such a young age.

I have a Ring-AGAIN!

For those of you who've seen me anytime this year... You MAY have noticed that my wedding ring has been missing from my finger. The reason for that is because my ring has been in the shop for a really long time. The head of the ring (the part where the diamond sits) broke about about a year ago and since we had to replace the whole head (and it wasn't cheap), I had to wait until Mother's Day to get it. After wearing it for a week or two, it broke again (sad day), and I brought it back in to the shop. Well yesterday I picked it up... and it's all fixed-again (happy day). I'm hoping that it doesn't break again, because I really like my ring a lot, and I like wearing it on my finger!

Baby #2

Congrats to Aaron & Andrea! Spencer Don was born last night (just before midnight), weighing 9 pounds 1 ounce. Andrea ended up having him natural (no epidural) because by the time she needed it, he was already coming... Go Andrea!!! Spencer's face is very bruised due to such a quick delivery-but he's still so handsome (he's got some REALLY dark hair under that hat).

And...

Some more good news, Baby #3 is going to be here very soon (possibly before the end of today), because just as we were walking in to the hospital to see Baby Spencer-Christina showed up...

Saying Goodbye

Benji and Peter went home tonight... They've been with us since Saturday night (the day before Carrie delivered). Tate was sad to see them go. He's thoroughly enjoyed having built in friends. I think that the boys had fun too, although I know that they missed their mom tremendously.