2012 Here We Come!!!

For Christmas this year our household received tickets to Knotts Berry Farm. What a blast! We spent a glorious week in California. It was such a great time together, I love spending family time together without any interruptions. Just me, MY LB and our fabulous four.

MY BFF

Our first stop was a visit with Alice's clan. Alice and I have been friends since sixth grade and have spent many great moments, some of my favorite, together. I love her and I love that our families have remained close after so many years.

Waterfall Hike

Double Date

Two Friends Hanging Out

Off to the BEACH and KNOTTS

Next we were off to our beach side resort. We spent Monday at Knotts Berry Farm. We had such a good time. Once the kids over came their fears they were on a ride-page. I couldn't believe the rides they went on, and LIKED. We recently had watched We Bought A Zoo and in the movie they talked about twenty seconds of courage, the kids used this as their motto for the day. They kept telling each other, "Come on, it only takes twenty seconds of courage". It worked!

I used my twenty seconds of courage to go on the worst ride of my life and came very close to loosing my stomach. WORST RIDE EVER! Love roller coasters, HATE to spin! I was spinning, swinging and getting higher and higher.... I can't talk about it anymore. I had to take a good 30 minutes in the sun sitting completely still before I could continue on our Knotts adventure.

The kids each had their favorite rides and wanted to go on them again and again (which we could without getting off because there were no lines).

The boys favorite ride, 301 feet in the air spinning round and round. It was a pretty cool trip, once was enough for me.

Maggie, LOVED the swings! She stayed on for three rotations one time. I tried the swings right after my ride from HECK and it too was horrible, man I was sick.

Kendal loved the spinning hats and so Jeremiah was doomed to spinning ALL DAY, poor guy. By the end of the night he was all spun out. Did I mention I HATE spinning.

Overall the park was a blast, I liked the rides, we don't know about the food because none of us dared to eat, the entertainment was fun, however my favorite part was this moment I captured as I walked behind my family...

Vacation always brings us closer together. I am grateful for such a loving husband and wonderful children to spend my days vacationing with.

This is how I finished my night, on the kiddie coaster with two of my kiddies. We were screaming, laughing and throwing our arms in the air. A perfect way to end the day!

Merry Service

Each year Grandma and Grandpa Mecham ask for a service project for Christmas. For the past two years we have united with our cousins to make it an extra special project. This year we decided to reach out to cancer patients and try to make their holidays a little brighter. Both of our families have experienced loss do to cancer this past year and it made the experience very personal and special for all of us.

Our family dedicated our service project this year to our good friend and neighbor Shawna Gross. The Gross family moved in when Shawna was seven months pregnant, it was fun to get to know them. Shawna was a working women and dedicated her time to working as a manager at the CPS office. We didn't see her much until baby Carson came into their home. However we did get quite acquainted with her husband John and her two year old Jackson. John is so amazing and happy, every time you see him you are guaranteed a big happy HELLO or a honk of the horn if he is in his truck.
Shawna was diagnosed with cancer shortly before Carson was born and a short five months later she lost the battle and joined her Heavenly Father. She was an amazing example of hope and perseverance, I will never forget the lessons I learned from her. It was a devastating experience for all. The next 9 months of our lives our family grew we now had three more boys (including John, trust me on this one) to love, care for and help mend their hearts. These were some of the saddest and happiest times of our lives. Moving away from them was very difficult and we miss them everyday that we don't see them.

This year our family loomed 30 plus hats for the cancer center and another 10 for family members. We did this all in an amazing three weeks, we know the Lord was supporting us every step of the way. The kids were amazing and learned very quickly. We loomed while we listened to books, drove in the car and watched movies. We dedicated the evenings to watching Christmas stories of hope and service while our little hands loomed away. The movies really helped bring the spirit of giving into our home. Every chance the kids got they wanted to serve, socks for the homeless (YMCA service project), picking Angles from the WalMart tree, and dropping coins into the bell ringers little red buckets. What joy giving brings!

On the week before Christmas the cousins brought the goodie bags and we supplied the hats and we ventured to the Cancer Treatment Center to give our gifts. They were very kind and told us about Team Hope, that is a team of volunteers that would give our gifts to those in the center that they would most benefit. The kids are already asking about how you can become a member of Team Hope. I love this experience and thank Grandma and Grandpa for asking for such a selfless gift and giving us the opportunity to give of our selves in a selfless manner during the best season of all.

Happy, Merry, Happy

Happy Birthday to Me

I know it is hard for all of us to believe that I have finally reached the ripe old age of "30" plus five. Believe it, it is true! For my birthday this year we attended a Temple Sealing and hung out in Mesa for the entire day. Yahooo! There were all of my favorite things, a Temple marriage, free food at a wedding luncheon, a trip to DI thrift store, pizza at Organ Stop Pizza and the Temple lights. It was a fantastic day.

Merry Christmas
Gingerbread houses with Steph's clan

 Christmas Eve with the Mechams

We all love this family tradition and spending a yummy, spiritual, happy time with the Mechams.

Christmas Morning

I love spending Christmas morning at home, just the six of us.

Happy New Year

We brought in the New Year with the Leithead family.  Yummy food, games and a munchkin parade.

I hope your holiday season was happy, merry, happy and brought the spirit of love, giving and peace into your home.

I Am A Youth

Today I listened to a home school recording that contained much needed information about the coming of "youth". It was a real eye opener to me of how misunderstood children are and how much we as adults demand to be understood. The speaker touched on hormones and how as women these words should be familiar to us; PMS, depression, mood swings and so on. I loved this part, many of us have been experiencing these hormonal affects for years and yet we still do not know how to control them. Yet we expect a child who is just experiencing them to control them. Puberty is a major hormonal change.

She also stated that because the body has so many other things to be concentrating on during this period of time many things that came natural before become difficult (such as thinking and listening). This period of their life will pass, the hormonal changes will slow down, they will mature and become adults. However, the experiences, positive and negative they have with their parents will last forever. What an awakening! The book The Five Love Languages of Children was brought up and how important at this stage of life it is to know what makes your child feel loved. I need to read this book.

Matthew is such an incredible child, he has been very excited for this time in his life. He has been reading books about it, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Receiving and Honoring your Priesthood and a book all about Growing Up. During our oral exam and discussion times he enjoys discussing what he is learning. I am taken back with how much he has grown in spirit, mind and body. He enjoys Leadership Education and is determined to bypass the term Teenager and become a strong and able Youth.

Our new ward has been wonderful for him. He is so social and friendly with everyone and freely expresses compassion. The first week in our new ward he was invited to a party that he enjoyed immensely. He has made many friends in Boy Scouts and had a great time on his first backpacking trip. MY LB accompanied him on the trip and only had great things to say about him.

Knock on wood I have yet to experience any crazy hormonal changes but I feel very blessed to hear the words of experienced women that take their time to teach others how to achieve positive relationships with their children. I cherish my relationship with Matthew, MY LB has expressed how great it has been to go backpacking with him and serve with him now he is of age.

I have been given many things in my life to show responsibility for, but nothing as important as raising Gods children. What a fantastic burden, I pray each day that I get it right. I guess I should also pray to know what getting it right means. I think with all of my heart that getting it right does not mean raising perfect kids that don't make any mistakes. Getting it right means that as a parent I need to have a full and complete understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. To understand the sorrows and heart ache that come from sin and be their for them in their time of need. I know there were many times that I wish I had someone physically there to comfort me and love me in spite of my follies. I am thankful for the peace that comes from knowing that God loves us and wants us to find happiness and offers redemption for our sins.

Matthew, being a good mom to you and your siblings is the most important thing to me (after loving MY LB). It was what I wanted to be when I grew up, a mom, it is my number one accomplishment I want to take with me into the eternities. I love you always and forever, mom.

Christmas Beginings

The Holidays are off to a wonderful start. 

• Christmas with the Phoenix Symphony - What an awesome time we had, MY LB was able to come with us and it was by far the best time we have had at the symphony.  Afterwards we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch.  The kids always saw the sign down town and were very curious, they were not disappointed.  They loved it, especially the gigantic touch pad screen.









• Jeremiah played the String Bass in a Christmas Concert.  MY LB is so handsome I love watching him perform.  He performed with the Goodyear Stake Orchestra and Choir at an amazing multi-religious event that our Stake puts on each year.
• Our Christmas shopping is officially complete and we are busily working on a service project for Grandma and Grandpa.  Grandma and Grandpa asked for a service project for Christmas each year, I always wish we would have started earlier but truth be told the service hours during this season of the celebration of our Saviors birth brings a wonderful spirit into our home.
• Bon fire and Christmas Carols with Steph's clan.  We are very excited to live close to our dear friends.  We have spent many nights together hanging out, eating dinner, doing crafts with the kids, and playing at the park.  This particular night we decided to take advantage of the fire pit in our back yard, the cold weather and the music of the season.







• Temple lights and Organ Stop Pizza.  This week I went on a Relief Society activity with our new ward.  I am loving getting to know new people, they are all very kind and fun to hang with.  We had a great time and they introduced me to the goings on of Organ Stop Pizza, I can't believe I have never been there before.  I can't wait to take the kids and introduce them to the sad little alley cats (they will probably want to take one home).

So you see between decorating, shopping, serving and holiday activities we have a great beginning to making great memories this holiday season.

12

Matthew turned twelve this week and I am feeling unbeleivably old.  I can hardly beleive that I have a youth.  Wasn't it just yesterday that he got baptized?  Time moves so quickly!

He is such an amazing young man with awesome goals and an incredible personality.  MY LB and I are very proud of ourselves for raising such a fine young man (saying that is part of my, "I am good enough" therapy, tee-hee)

 

Matthew has been very excited to become a Deacon (youth program at church) and receive the Priesthood.  It has been fun watching him study, journal and pray about it.  He is such a good example to us.  We love him so much and are looking forward to watching him grow in the gospel and prepare for his mission.  Which by the way time flies, could be tomorrow.

Hey Good Looking!

I finally updated our family pictures.

It took me two years but I think they are well worth the wait.

 

 
 

If you are interested in a Breathing Life photo shoot there is still time to get your picture CD before Christmas.  $50.00 photo shoot and your choice of location.

cmecham2000@yahoo.com for more information