A Jolley Good Time!
I just wanted to say thank you to my Jolley family. We do not always have the opportunity to be with family over the holidays, but...we are always welcomed with open arms by the Jolley family. When I find myself sad and missing my family, I instantly have brothers and sisters and wonderful adoptive parents who are so kind and loving.

We had a wonderful dinner of all the Thanksgiving best. Turkey and ham and all the sides you could think of. Oh and the deserts were to die for! Once again I have stuffed myself to the point of bursting buttons. The kids were wonderful ( hardly any fights) and the weather was gorgeous! What a wonderful thanksgiving...so thanks to my Jolley family!

Thankful Thoughts.

Some times it is hard to be thankful. This time of year is always particularly hard for me. I am not the type of person who likes to feel depressed or in a slump....but through the months of November and December I find myself crying at the drop of a hat. And every year it gets worse. I miss my family, who all live close enough or have the ability to go home for every holiday. So everyone is together...except me.

So to remedy my gloominess, I like to give extra service, focus on giving my husband and kids a wonderful holiday season, and think happy thoughts. I feel the need to remind myself that I do have things to be thankful for.

I am thankful for:

• My parents, who love me no matter what
• My siblings, who taught me patience and love me no matter what.
• My ancestors who believed....and lived the Gospel.
• My husband....for having the love and patience to put up with me!
• My daughter Sydney....she is so tender and thoughtful!
• My daughter Haylie....who makes me laugh and cry all in the same day.
• My son....I almost didn't have him. He is my miracle boy!
• Friends who are my family when I am so far away from my own!
• Rekindled friendships.
• The first dentist I worked for....he taught me so much!
• My years in Utah....I will cherish all those memories!
• All the places I have travelled. This world is so beautiful.
• Money. Without it I would not have been able to travel.
• My extended Family...they have always been so supportive of me.
• My home. It may not be the prettiest thing, but it is home.
• My van!
• Sunsets....I love the colors.
• Warm cloths...I hate being cold.
• All of the callings I have ever had. Each one has helped me to understand my weaknesses and how to make them strengths.
• My senses...I would be very sad if I could not see the beauty of this earth, or hear my children's laughter, or smell a cooking turkey!
• My pain...it lets me know that I am not invincible
• My sadness...it helps me to cherish my joys.
• Doctors who have saved my life more than once and who have healed my daughter.
• Prayer....not my own, but all of yours.
• My hands...I love to create with them.
• For our freedoms...may we always have them.
• And so many other things. This list could go on.

Lastly, I am thankful for the deep and steadfast testimony I have that we are loved by a Heavenly Father who has provided a plan of happiness for us. I am grateful for His laws and consequences without which we would not have an appreciation for His love and Mercies. I am forever grateful to our Savior, Jesus Christ for His gift of unconditional love and sacrifice. I hope to someday fully appreciate that sacrifice.

Girls Night/ Birthday Night.

There are a bunch of us who have Nov. birthdays and we usually all go out for dinner. I always end up eating so much, I don't have room for desert, so tonight we did a desert night. One of my favorite deserts of all time is the Olive Garden's White chocolate raspberry cheesecake. However, I can not go to the Olive Garden without getting a bowl of their Zuppa Toscana soup. It is perfect on these cold nights. Warms you up all the way to your toes!!!! It was a fun night. We talked and laughed until nearly closing time. I love all my Waterloo gals! Thanks for all the birthday wishes!

9 down...a life time to enjoy.

November is a crazy month for us at the Nai home. I my birthday, my sisters birthday and my mothers birthday all within a 4 day span. On top of that, 9 years ago I decided to get married.....2 days before my birthday. Don't ask me what I was thinking!!!!

I was thinking the other day of where we were every year for our past anniversaries. This is what I came up with.

Year zero: Married in Canada.

Year one: Living in Erie, PA( not liking it) and pregos with Sydney.

Year two: Living in Erie still ( and still not liking it)

Year three: Living in Terre Haute, IN. ( loving it)

Year four: Living in Waterloo, Ia ( not sure if I like it yet) ( haylie is 2 mo. old) .

Year five:Loving Waterloo! moved to new house.

Year six: Still loving it

Year seven: Recovering from a Pulmonary embolism and giving birth to my baby boy.

Year eight: Totally forgot anniversary!!!!

Year nine. Still in IA, Still Happy, Still in love.

Well for the past couple of years, I have been playing the role of the forgetful husband. Last year I totally forgot our anniversary and my birthday was on thanksgiving. ( yuck!). The year before that...who knows. I actually can not remember the last actual anniversary we did something out of the ordinary. I love my husband very much....but he is not the romantic type at all. Any planning for a date is done by me. Well this year I was not going to let it slip by again. I am not high maintenance or picky, so date nights don't need to be too detailed.

The 9th anniversary is the pottery year, so I planned a date to this neat little place where yo can pick a piece of pottery ( plates, mugs, vases, etc.) to paint and then they fire them and you have yourself a little creation made by each other. Anthony painted me a vase. He is very talented when it comes to drawing, but painting is not his favorite. Bless his heart....he at least had fun trying something new. I painted him a card holder for all his business cards. I must say, mine is way cute! It was fun to do something together like that.

Then it was off to try something else new. We went to the Hu Hot. A Mongolian grill where you pile on meat and noodles and veggies and watch them cook your food on this huge round slab of hot stone. It was fun to watch and fun to eat. All in all a pretty good anniversary. Next year is a big one, so I told Anthony to start planning now.

I don't have any pics of the pottery yet. I will post them when I get the pottery back.

Hello Operator?

Quick funny story.

I was on the couch all wrapped up in a blanket ( I hate being cold!) when the phone started to ring. Sometimes I just have Sydney look at the caller I.D. and let me know if it is a 800 #. I never answer them. But sometimes it comes up unknown #, in which case I wait to hear if they leave a message or not. Sorry to any of you that I do this to.

Any way, Haylie wanted to get the phone for me, but she can't read yet, so she just let the answering machine get it. When I asked who it was she said.....

" Don't worry mom, it was just the operator from the phone company. She said that they were not there right now, but if we give them our phone # , they will call us back later."

Maybe it is the cold, or the fact that I am just brain dead, but I didn't clue in to what she was telling me. I need to call the phone company? well I almost did when Anthony gave a little giggle and then I figured out what my dear little helper was telling me. She had heard our answering machine message and thought it was the operator. What will she do next?

Here We Go!
The trend is starting!!!!! We do not tend to look at fashion trends in a bad way. Most fashions are descent and harmless...but are they really? Fashion designers are getting more and more risque in their choice of designs. And usually the public goes with the flow. If big stars think it is fashionable then so does the rest of the world.

The same rings true for the world of politics and " political correctness". As of this morning, eHarmony, a New York based company that helps singles find suitable dates, has lost a lawsuit. This company is a privately owned and operated company and should have the constitutional right to decide whom they sell their product to. If I owned a pet grooming shop and some woman or man came in demanding a hair cut, I would have the right to say " we do not provide services to humans"
Now think about the trend that has been growing with the homosexual issues. More and more organizations are being " FORCED" to provide services or change their policies to include the homosexual minority. It will not be long now that churches of all faiths will be FORCED to accept and provide services ( including temple worship) to the people who are fighting to change policies.....not our policies, but God's policies. So are we saying that God is not politically correct? SOOOOOO SORRYYYYYYY people!

Anyhow, I am sorry for ranting about this. I just think it is ridiculous that all this is happening! And I would like to say that I am sorry if I offended anyone, but at this point I am not.

Be Informed!!!!
I will not get into the recent political drama we are all so sick of, but I would like to express my deepest desire for all of us to be more informed. I wish that we could all look a little deeper into the future when we vote on issues ( that is key...voting on issues, not people and their personalities!). Democrat or Republican, we all need to see the impact our choices create for our future.
As a result of the recent elections, we now have a government almost completely run by the Democratic party. This means that all laws and amendments will be voted on by people in congress and the house of representatives who have a more liberal view of our freedoms. Certain rights and laws will be overturned to please the " worldly"and immoral view that most of this country has. Congress has set their sights on abortion laws. They are determined to allow abortion rights regardless of age or procedure. If any of you do not know what those procedures are ( especially partial birth abortions) I would gladly fill you in. I encourage all decent people reading this to pass on this link. It is an official web site that gives facts about the laws and what they really mean. So read it, and determine for yourself which laws you agree with and which ones you do not. http://www.nchla.org/issues.asp?I
As for our futures, I am not a mind reader. I do not know for a fact that we will all be doomed because of the next presidents future decisions. But take a look at what is going on in California. Things are changing. I have always believed that, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we will come full circle. When our church was first organized, we were outcasts and persecuted for what....for being good and decent people and for having a religion that does not differ in a big way from other religions . Now we are seeing that again. Or at least the beginnings. In California, Mormons are being targeted for a law that was passed in part by many people not of our faith. But we are the ones to blame.
As we look into the future, I want to know what I am voting for and I pray that I may have the courage to stand up and vote when it is not the " Popular" vote. We will be persecuted for standing up for what is right. And I would rather do that than " go with the flow"!!! I don't want to be like the masses of lemmings who allow change to happen without knowing the consequences of those choices. Let's not be lemmings!

4 Years Ago....

In April of 2004 gas prices hit a high of $2.00/galon. Today I filled my van for $1.99/galon. Is this a trend that will continue? Gas prices will eventually start to rise again, so Do we start to fill up canisters and store them for the day when prices are back up to $4.00? I say yes. The reports I have been reading say that part of the reason for the declining prices is that consumers are being more frugal with their gas consumption. So the less we buy gas...the lower the prices will stay. I know for me it is hard to save on gas when there are always errands to run and places to be, but there are ways to cut corners and make shorter trips. As far as storing gas, anyone know of the propper way to do this?

And More!!!!

Well, one more year of Trick or Treating has come and gone ( Thank goodness!) It is always fun for the kids, but what a head ache for me. Especially since this year, Anthony had to work and could not help me. But all went well regardless.

Sydney is a very imaginative kid and doesn't like the everyday normal costumes sold in the stores. I was like that too growing up. I wanted something unique. Well this year she wanted to be the Headless Horseman. It was not an expensive costume to make...but it was a pain in the toosh to rig so that it looked as though she had no head. Haylie, thank Heavens, just wanted to be the owl my mom had sent years ago for Sydney . That made things a bunch easier. And as for Tui....He was a Toucan. Thanks to Stacy for letting me borrow it. It was perfect. Tui would go door to door saying " Trick-Treat....more....tankoo!" He would then come running down the side walk saying" Yay mommy....candy". Every house he did this. Mommy is candied out!

Well now Sydney tells me she wants to be a Sentar (sp?) a half horse half human thing. Guess I'd better get planning how to make that one.

Hope everyone had a good Halloween!

Halloween Fun!

Our good friends, the Jolley's, invited us over for soup and some Halloween fun. The kids each got to carve their own pumpkin. It was quite a mess by the end, but they had fun. Someone even figured out that if you squeeze a pumpkin seed between your fingers, it shoots really far. So there was a pumpkin seed fight in there as well. All good fun and a nice way to spend a cold yucky night. Thanks Jolley's!!!

Pumpkin Farm.

Every year we go to Heartland farms. They have wonderful things to do all year round. They allow you to come all year round to pick the foods they grow. We love to go pick strawberries, raspberries, and especially pumpkins.

Unfortunately I always go to late in the day and the lighting is not the greatest ( so sorry for the bad pics).

Anthony doesn't always come because of his work schedule, but this year we were all able to go together.

We usually go through the haunted house they have there, Actually there are 2 haunted houses. One for the " big kids" and adults called " The Heart of Darkness" and the little kids haunted house. Last year I was surprised at how scary the little kids one was, but we made it through ( with Haylie hanging on to me for dear life!) Needless to say, she didn't want to go in this year and I was not about to take Tui in. He hides his face in my shoulder when we walk down the Halloween isle at Walmart saying " mommy....care me, mommy...care me" . Which means mommy it scares me. So that left Sydney begging to go in. Anthony ( the big, brave, smartie pants) said he would take her. I told him there were 2 signs. One for the entrance of the adult haunted house and one for the little kids. I pointed out where to go. Where did he go? In the wrong house. He went into the back entrance of the adult Haunted house and took Sydney crying and begging to get out all the way through the dang thing. Then he gets out and can't understand why she was so scared.....DUH! Poor Sydney!

Captain Underpants....

Haylie used to empty her entire shirt drawer....pants drawer...any drawer to find something she wanted to wear. It is still that way except that now, after 4 years of training, will now put everything back when she is done. Fhewww!

Well now it is Tui who does this. I have no idea what he is looking for until he finds it and asks me to put it on him. Well the other night, we were getting ready for bed and Tui decided to go through all of Haylies drawers. Now I really had no idea what he was looking for. Well, this is what he found and the girls thought he was so funny that they just had to join him.

Fashion For Me....Yay!
I have found myself lacking in the fashion department. I will gladly blame it on the fact that I have 3 kids and they always come first! But I have to admit that I am also a penny pincher in a way.
So when I came across a link for Handbag Planet and a free drawing, I couldn't pass it up. Lake a look and if you see what you like ( who wouldn't!), then go ahead and enterhttp://www.handbagplanet.com/ . Nothing to loose!

Short, sweet, and stinky!

Hipp-Hipp- Hooray......Tui went Potty today!!!!!

He is my sweet little boy! He did a quick potty trip before bed tonight.....just to get him used to the idea of sitting on the potty. And what do ya know, plop---plop. Yay, maybe potty training a boy won't be so hard. Cross my fingers...knock on wood!

Am I a bad Mommy?

I remember growing up.....me and my younger sisters and one brother. Oh how we used to dress him up and do his hair. He was young enough that he didn't know any different. Well, I am again, dressing a little boy up as a girl. I can't help it!!!! Tui is so darn cute and his hair is irresistible! He looks so much like Sydney at that age! He could seriously pass as a girl if I dressed him in Pink. Here are some pics for you to see what I mean.

You can probably guess who is Sydney and who is Tui and the pictures don't do them justice....but had they been born at the same time they could pass as twins. My poor Tui is going to want to burn these pics when he gets older....but I love them!

September......

Thank goodness it's over!

I actually love this time of year. All the wonderful signs that fall is on it's way. Kids are back in school, which by the way is wonderful! Haylie started pre-school this year. I taught an at home pre-school with some other moms in the past and loved it, but Haylie really didn't. She would refuse to participate and was simply not interested in learning. That being said, I was worried about putting her into a regular pre-school. All has worked out well though. She is making lots of new friends and is eager and even excited to go and learn with her teachers. She is even learning sign language( which I did teach her, but apparently is more fun to learn from her teacher at school :P) As for Sydney, my little smartie pants, she is in the second grade but is learning 3rd grade curriculum. She is very bright, but I have noticed that she is a perfectionist. She gets very down and hard on herself if she gets an answer wrong. She wants to please everyone....especially her teacher. It will be interesting to see how she adapts to learning more difficult material. I love her enthusiasm for knowledge!

Just when I think life will get back to normal with 2 out of my 3 kids in school, I realize I am kidding myself. I babysit 2 extra kids during the day....so now I am back to 3 kids at all times ( and 6 when the others are home from school). Some day I might have a moment to myself. Until then I will be singing and playing kids games all day long.

September is our birthday month. My miracle baby boy is no longer a baby. Tui turned 2 this September. He is the most gorgeous boy ever. I love to look at his long eyelashes that cover his big brown eyes and play with his thick curly locks ( which I can not bring myself to cut yet). He is totally into Thomas the train engine and cars. He has finally figured out what are boy toys and what are girl toys.

Next comes my wonderful husband's birthday. I think Anthony turned 10 this year. All he asked for this year was the new Lego star wars video game for his xbox. We of course got him other " grown up " stuff too, but he really enjoyed his new game! He is such a hard worker and has such a big heart. From the outside he looks rough and tough....but those of us who know him well know that he would do anything for anybody! ( that big heart of his has gotten us in trouble one too many times!) I love my Big Man!!!! Here is a pic of the big guy when he was not so big. What a cutie pie!

Finally there is Haylie. She was so excited to turn 5 this year. She wanted a mermaid party and as always I get a bit to extent in my plans. I had planned to make mermaid skirts for each of the kids invited and they would go on an underwater treasure hunt to find jewels to make necklaces with. Then it would be present time and then cake and ice cream. It all went as planned except for the skirts. I am a bit incompetent when it comes to sewing, so when my ( new) machine decided to stop working, I had no clue what was wrong or how to fix it. But oh well, they all had fun anyway.

Oh, and this month has been a roller coaster ride for one more reason....I am pregnant. Just kidding. I was released from my calling as Primary President and called as the Enrichment leader. I will get back to you on which of the two is a harder calling.

Ridiculous?
So, I copied this from a friends page. I thought it was deserving of some thought. My thoughts will be posted at the end.
PETA Urges Ben & Jerry's To Use Human Milk
VERMONT -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, cofounders of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., urging them to replace cow's milk they use in their ice cream products with human breast milk, according to a statement recently released by a PETA spokeswoman."PETA's request comes in the wake of news reports that a Swiss restaurant owner will begin purchasing breast milk from nursing mothers and substituting breast milk for 75 percent of the cow's milk in the food he serves," the statement says.PETA officials say a move to human breast milk would lessen the suffering of dairy cows and their babies on factory farms and benefit human health."The fact that human adults consume huge quantities of dairy products made from milk that was meant for a baby cow just doesn't make sense," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Everyone knows that 'the breast is best,' so Ben & Jerry's could do consumers and cows a big favor by making the switch to breast milk."In a statement Ben and Jerry's said, "We applaud PETA's novel approach to bringing attention to an issue, but we believe a mother's milk is best used for her child."Read PETA's letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry GreenfieldSeptember 23, 2008Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, CofoundersBen & Jerry's Homemade Inc.
Dear Mr. Cohen and Mr. Greenfield,On behalf of PETA and our more than 2 million members and supporters, I'd like to bring your attention to an innovative new idea from Switzerland that would bring a unique twist to Ben and Jerry's.Storchen restaurant is set to unveil a menu that includes soups, stews, and sauces made with at least 75 percent breast milk procured from human donors who are paid in exchange for their milk. If Ben and Jerry's replaced the cow's milk in its ice cream with breast milk, your customers-and cows-would reap the benefits.Using cow's milk for your ice cream is a hazard to your customer's health. Dairy products have been linked to juvenile diabetes, allergies, constipation, obesity, and prostate and ovarian cancer. The late Dr. Benjamin Spock, America's leading authority on child care, spoke out against feeding cow's milk to children, saying it may play a role in anemia, allergies, and juvenile diabetes and in the long term, will set kids up for obesity and heart disease-America's number one cause of death.Animals will also benefit from the switch to breast milk. Like all mammals, cows only produce milk during and after pregnancy, so to be able to constantly milk them, cows are forcefully impregnated every nine months. After several years of living in filthy conditions and being forced to produce 10 times more milk than they would naturally, their exhausted bodies are turned into hamburgers or ground up for soup.And of course, the veal industry could not survive without the dairy industry. Because male calves can't produce milk, dairy farmers take them from their mothers immediately after birth and sell them to veal farms, where they endure 14 to 17 weeks of torment chained inside a crate so small that they can't even turn around.The breast is best! Won't you give cows and their babies a break and our health a boost by switching from cow's milk to breast milk in Ben and Jerry's ice cream? Thank you for your consideration.Sincerely,Tracy ReimanExecutive Vice President

Ok.....ready for my thoughts? Close your eyes and picture a cow hooked up to a milking machine. Now picture a woman hook up to a milking machine. Anyone else think that is not a fun picture?
Personally I feel that God put the cows here for our use. Yes we need to use all that he has given us in moderation....but I do not believe that the milk from a cow is bad for us. I believe, that like all the food we consume, we are exposed tho chemicals and preservatives that are the cause of the allergies and diseases we face. ( Granted there are some real milk allergies out there...but for the most part a mild allergy is not from the milk but from the way, and the preservatives used in the process of making milk). The cows are eating grain that has probably been in a field sprayed with pesticides, and therefor it is then passed into the milk....just like a human. Whatever a woman eats is passed into her milk. Personally I trust the cows more than some strange woman....who knows what she is eating or what kinds of medication she is taking.
I think I will stick with the Cows....Mooo!!!!

Day 10; Country Roads

Well we are back on the road again. There were some tears and lots of hugs before we left. Anthony reassured me that we would be back someday. It didn't make the tears go away, but at least I know he enjoyed Nova Scotia enough to say we would be back.

We drove all day and all night until we got to Palmyra, NY where we found a hotel at 3:00am. It was not as bad a s the hotel in my previous blog. After a good nights rest we got up and took a short drive to the Hill Cumorah visitor center and the Palmyra temple. We took the kids through a tour of the Joseph Smith home and the Sacred Grove. It was a wonderful opportunity to let them know how special this place is to us and let them know that we have a testimony of the Gospel and the things that happened here long ago. We sang " The Golden Plates" as we walked and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the early morning hours. I always love to visit this area and remember the feelings I have and the knowledge that I have because of that great man who gave his life that we might have the truth. And for all those who followed him and suffered more than you or I will ever know. I am so grateful for their faith...It strengthens my own.

After a wonderful quiet morning we headed to Anthony's mom's house in Erie. Only a short 2 hour drive from Palmyra. Anthony's mom, Sandra, wanted to come with us to Nova Scotia, and would have except that the twins ( from the previous blog) had just been born and Sandi felt that she should stay and help with them. I know how much she would have loved Nova Scotia, so we bought her a light house lantern, all made out of stained glass. Next time she is coming for sure!

We stayed there the rest of the day...took a nap and started driving again at midnight. We could tell the kids were getting tired of driving, so we thought we would get it over with and let them sleep through the night. 11 hours later we were home! I never knew how wonderful my lumpy uneven bead felt until I had been away from it for so long. I had the most wonderful nap. I dreamed I was in Nova Scotia.

Day 10; Farewell to Nova Scotia

What a sad, sad day! It is our last day in Nova Scotia. There is so much more I want to see and do, but we opted for one last day at the beach. And what a perfect day! We got there at low tide ( when the water has receded as far as it will). The beach looked huge! this was the perfect time for clam digging. Karma, Kasson, Renee and Sydney went to the other side of the beach and dug for clams. You know when you have found one when a squirt of water hits the bottom of your feet and then you dig. Watch out though. When you pick them up they squirt more salt water at you. Kasson got it right in his mouth...Yuck!!!

The rest of us went to the swimming part of the beach. This was the first day that Tui actually wanted to go in the ocean. Don't ask me why! As soon as the tide starts coming back in, those waves can get pretty big and strong. They were splashing him in his face and he was loving it. He must have known that it was our last day. We found some pretty big shells too while the tide was out.

Tui got tired and cuddled Papa until he fell asleep. So I finally had a chance to get out in the waves. Sydney let me use her boogie board and all of a sudden I was 11 years old again, splashing and laughing in the ocean. I can't express the freedom or the wonder I felt as I enjoyed the beautiful wonders that our Heavenly Father created for us. I am so glad that I was able to share my love for this world and for Nova Scotia with my husband and children. Hopefully it will not be the last time we go there. Farewell Nova Scotia!!