MAYFIELDS

Pictures and Stories from Months Past

2012-01-15T09:27:00.004-06:00

OCTOBER
This was my birthday ... what a beautifully pleasant day for the end of October. I treated myself to a few minutes with the camera. My girls treated me to a collection of acorns (our oak tree is finally big enough to produce them), and Nathan and Kenadie treated me to some fun swing tricks.
Add to that some flowers from Nate and Sam, and the day couldn't get any better!
NOVEMBER
A yummy cake and a beautiful girl made my Thanksgiving.
And my days are made brighter by this one. I am clinging to every second of every day I have left of her all to myself. After eleven years, the next year and a half seem so short. I am not ready to let go of this stage in life, and I actually get teary whenever I think that we are so close to entering into a new stage of being a family. Thankfully I realize it now and take a little more time and have a little more perspective to savor every second. Wish I had spent the last eleven years doing so.

We had the elders for dinner, and everyone was visiting and having a good ole time. Then all the sudden Carden started screaming and bouncing around. Emma yelled, "A wasp! Carden got stung by a wasp!" Sure enough, she was stung three times on the shoulder, though Emma was the only one to see this wasp, and only as it was crawling out of Carden's sleeve. Nate took her back and helped her change her shirt and brush her hair, all in my room, without ever seeing the wasp again. A few mornings later, Carden came to find a pair of socks (the unfolded-sock basket was in my room) and placed her hand on the foot of my bed ... right on top of the wasp. She was stung again on her middle finger. I grabbed the fly swatter and beat the wasp into submission (poor thing, it wasn't a quick death since it was on a soft bed). And thus ended the sad story of Carden and her wasp.
Random iPhone pics (I love instagram ... it's the whole reason I wanted an iPhone).
1. Found Kenadie asleep in the hallway one night, after I had put her to be in her nice, comfortable, soft, warm bed.
2. Watching mom do homework would put anyone to sleep.
3. Sam doing homework.
4. Cute little man.
5. Peppers from the garden ... they grew even through the neglect of this summer.
6. Kena fell asleep on the counter ... I don't know what it is about her had hard, cold surfaces.
7. Throwing a fit on Sunday because Daddy let him stay up too late on Saturday. Did I mention Nate was out visiting another ward, so I got all the tired-fit-throwing fun to myself?! I took this picture to text to Nate and make him feel bad. And no, I am not above that.
8. Watching the first snow flurries of the season.
9. Silly boy.
10 - 12. Playing with mom's iPhone (don't tell dad) during the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon.

Nate and Nathan have started 'battling,' and I love it. They divide the toys, build forts, and all I hear is laughter and banter about who is cheating more. All I have to say is Nathan comes by it honestly.
DECEMBER
Emma and Carden had school performances in November. Emma did a recorder concert that I attended. Afterwards, we grabbed a treat and had some fun one-on-one time. She practiced hard and still plays her recorder to this day. Next, we went to a chorus performance of "Juke Box Jingle" that Carden participated in. She had a speaking part and did a great job. I took finals, made a poodle skirt, put on a teacher appreciation luncheon, and finished a couple other projects that week on top of normal life, so I was glad when the week was over. It was all worth it to see Carden preform, though.
We did one last hurrah with our Early Works membership and went to Santa's Village for family home evening one Monday night. The kids had fun.
More iPhone pics:
1-2. Visiting with Baby Grey. I think Grey and Carden could be brother and sister.
3. Driving around with Emma.
4. Someone is a little tired.
5. Working on Relief Society stuff.

We took a little trip to a small greenway near our house. The house was clean and ready for us to leave for Chattanooga and we had a few hours before Nate would be home from work. Thankfully the weather was decent. The big kids were moving too fast on the scooters and bikes for me to get many pictures, and Kenadie pedaled along for over a mile (we did some backtracking), most of the time trying to go so fast to catch up with the big kids. What a little trooper. Needless to say, she fell asleep on the way to Chattanooga.

Lacey, Chase and Davis

2012-01-12T11:59:00.003-06:00

I recently spent a week in Oklahoma beginning some wedding preparations for my sister, Lexi. While there, I was privileged to take photos of some of my favoritest people in the world ... my sister, Lacey, and her two boys.

When I arrived at the airport, Dad was the first person I saw. Then Chase came, and as soon as he saw me, he ran up and gave me the biggest monster hug. I love that boy! Davis would not look at me, but by the end of the day, he was my best friend. I heard many times, "Sissy, I love you." It probably didn't hurt that I had my iPad and iPhone. We went and ate lunch with Chase one day, super fun, and I already miss Lacey and her boys. Only a couple months until I see them again ... and bring their cousins in tow.

Christmas Card

2012-01-09T20:26:00.005-06:00

It's been a crazy year, and I feel like I have been running (a minimum of ) ten steps behind since the end of March. I decided that this was just NOT the year for Christmas Cards, and I was OK with that. Until ... I helped my sister with her Christmas card. I made our card and ordered them, but all the wind went from my sails when they weren't going to be ready until Christmas Eve. Oh well, I figured I'd post it here, and if you really want one, e-mail me and I'll send you one (I have a stack afterall). If not, enjoy our belated Christmas wishes to you and yours here!

1 ... college football game attended this season (and it was BYU, not Auburn)
1 ... month spent at the Callahan Farm (while repairs were being done on our home)
2 ... preschool groups Kenadie participates in
2 ... Sundays Nate has attended church with the family since the new Madison Alabama Stake was formed (he’s the Stake Young Men’s President, so he’s out visiting the other wards)
3 ... courses Alisha successfully completed (in her first semester at Athens State University)
5 ... Harry Potter books Emma has read so far
5 ... days spent in Destin, FL (accompanied by Sam and two friends)
6.5 ... months until Carden is in Young Women’s (just in time to go to Girls’ Camp!)
7 ... people living in our home now (Sam joined our family for the year)
67 ... times ADELE’s “Set Fire to the Rain” has been played on iTunes (our most-played song)
90 ... days Nathan has been a Kindergartener (and a cute one at that)
365 ... days a year we are grateful to know you!

Christmas Mayfield Style

2011-12-31T18:36:00.004-06:00

Sam left for Oklahoma the day after school got out. He participated in our family gift exchange, and Emma drew his name. She bought him a keychain/screwdriver/flashlight from the Penguin Patch ... and it said #1 DAD ... and a toolset.We had a quiet Christmas Eve ... just our little family. We did our traditional Nativity with an all-star cast:

Nate .... Narrator
Alisha .... Shepherd
Carden .... Wiseman
Emerson .... Angel
Nathan .... Joseph
Kenadie .... Mary

We had a wonderful Christmas morning and spent Sacrament Meeting with the Barry Mayfields and our old ward. Then we went to the Callahan Farm for Christmas dinner ... so delicious and beautiful, as always. I look forward to this dinner every year, it is such a special time!
Last year, we started a tradition of the cousins exchanging handmade gifts. Carden had Megan and made a pom-pom necklace. I am going to contract her to make me one, it was so cute! Emma had Ty, and she was so excited. We tossed many ideas around, and she ended up making a Lego t-shirt for him, complete with a "TYGER" logo on the sleeve. Nathan had Josh and talked about making him a godine eg (golden egg), a carpollo (car pillow), or cardboard cut into the shape of a racecar that he would paint. Nate talked him into making a racecar shirt, so he drew a racecar and I made a stencil out if it for the shirt. I LOVE the way it turned out. Kenadie had Kayti and made her a decoupaged clipboard that she can hang on her wall or pull down and use when she feels a little writing inspiration. Kena loved "painting" the mod podge and did a great job!
Instead of presents from Santa this year, we took a family trip to Chattanooga. It was a blast, and we plan on making this a tradition.

First stop was the Tennessee Aquarium. Carden and Emma were Nathan and Kenadie's age the last time we went, so it was exciting for everyone.

Kenadie was not a fan of anything big or different looking (couldn't get her near those tanks), but she loved the little baby fishies and the little baby jellyfish. I actually caught her kissing the fishtank!

The girls and I participated in a 'backstage pass' while Nate took the little ones to the IMAX theatre and watched a show on elephants and monkeys. The backstage pass was way fun, we learned about the river otters and prepared their enrichment activity, saw the kitchens and the quaratine room, and we met a fiesty turtle named Chomper.

We finished out that day with a trip to the Chattanooga Choo Choo to see the model railways and an ice cream cone and then swimming at the hotel.

The next morning, we woke up and headed to the Children's Discovery Museum ... so fun! We teamed up and split off. Carden and Emma went off together, Nate and Nathan were a team, and Kenadie and I spent the morning together. Kena's favorite part was the bees. She loved climbing in the hive, and then spent lots of time watching the bees work in their hive. She'd watch the bees through the magnifying glass, then look out the window and then back to the hive ... over and over.

After the museum, we headed to Ruby Falls, a cave and an underground waterfall. It was neat seeing all the different formations, and the waterfall was breathtaking.

After this, we headed home so I could prepare to leave for Oklahoma the next day.

And that, my friends, was our wonderful Christmas!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

2011-12-21T22:29:00.006-06:00

This summer, I found a Christmas tree at a garage sale. I dreamed of a slim 7-ft. tree to grace our pseudo-foyer/library area in our living room that I could decorate with some ornaments I've collected over the years. Dawn, Carden and I stopped at a sale that we quickly decided wasn't worth our time, but on the way out, a Christmas tree box caught my eye. The man said $10, but I wasn't sold ... my hang-up was that it was not slim, and I really don't have a ton of room in that spot. I started to walk away, and in desperation he said $5. I know, it's crazy, but I was still debating on whether or not $5 was worth a tree that probably wouldn't work. His final offer was $2, just so he didn't have to haul it back inside. SOLD! I figured if it didn't work, surely there would be someone I could give it to. He even loaded it into the truck for us, I wonder if his wife knew he sold the Christmas tree for $2.

Having it set up, it fills the space well without the bookshelf "wall" that divides the foyer/library from the living room area. The shelves are currently in the garage being painted, so next year, the backside of the tree may be a little smooshed to fit the space. But I love it now. No going back.

Nate and I are at odds when it comes to buying the Christmas tree. It is not one of the better hours in our year when it comes to our marriage, so I agreed to step out of the Christmas-tree-buying decision. I went, I smiled, but Nate talked the kids into finding the saddest Christmas tree there ... one that wouldn't have a home for Christmas unless we took it. They were on board! Poor Kenadie was diagnosed, after a midnight 'sick tummy' and lots and lots of hysterical screaming, with two massive ear infections, so she was a little out-of-sorts when we went on our tree-finding date.

We, of course, started with a dinner at Casa Blanca, and then found the perfect tree. I was surprised when I sat down to write this that I do not have any pictures of our tree decorated. I will still take a few, but it is dead now. I'm sad for the oversight. I love this tree, crazy branches and all, and all the ornaments that go on it.

I finished my finals on Friday, and I thought I'd celebrate by laying in bed and reading the rest of the day, but when it came time, I really wanted to decorate for Christmas. I pulled out the rest of the boxes and got going! To be honest, I was really nervous about my $2 Christmas tree. I did not have high hopes of finding all the pieces there and functioning, but to my great relief, I even found directions in the box, and it went together beautifully! I had a blast using all the things I've collected over the years, and I love the mesh of sparkle, age, and natural elements. Many things were made for use in the Stake Christmas Festival in years past ... the wrapped 'presents,' the tree skirt, the painting of Mary and Joseph. Even the slices-of-wood ornaments. I bought the dew drops (though they ended up being on backorder so we didn't use them) and Victorian tinsel for use last year.

Next I moved to the leaning bookshelves. It was the perfect place to display my nativity this year.

Then to the office. I clipped my nandina bushes out back for the berries and greenery, and, yes, to Nate's chagrin, I planted those nandinas years ago to harvest the berries come Christmas (after reading about them in "Southern Living"). To be honest, they need a big, huge pruning job this spring. :)

Some entry pictures (two tables) and office pictures (piano and number dresser). I added the close-up picture of the blue frame to document that I did, in fact, accomplish at least one of my projects for this year, and that is replacing the picture of the girls in old-fashioned bikinis with one of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus (I bought the frame in Destin years ago, and yes, still have not replaced the picture with one of my own. Until now. Just keepin' it real.).
One of the things that I love about my decor this year is that I've incorporated so many treasures I found at Grandpa Haynie's. The wire baskets on the shelves and under the tree, the white bowls with the red lips (the name is escaping me), an old pair of ice skates (displayed out front), the oil cans. Some of these treasures are permenants in my decor, some are making their debut.

As mentioned, I have a list of projects I want to complete, but the reality of completing them is growing smaller and smaller. Oh well. The large frame on the entry table is supposed to be a linen-covered cork board where I plan on hanging Christmas cards. (That is almost done.) There is a canvas by the painting of Mary and Jesus that I would like to do something on, but I cannot, for the life of me, figure out what. And, above the piano, a massive faux-canvas is in my head, and I even know what I want it to say, just gotta do it now.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-14T14:59:00.003-06:00

Things I am Thankful for on this Thanksgiving:
1. My home in which I can host a Thanksgiving meal.
2. Wonderful Thanksgiving music to set the mood for my day.
3. iTunes, which allows me to pick and choose my Thanksgiving music.
4. 40+ people I love that come over to share dinner with us.
5. Decorating and cooking with my daughters.
6. Garage Sales ... so many fun things to decorate with this year!
7. Pumpkins.
8. Did I mention my family? And my friends? I love them. I'm thankful for them. They make my life happy.
9. Visiting at the Davies.
10. The bounty of blessing I've received throughout the year.

EarlyWorks

2011-12-14T12:25:00.003-06:00

My Nephew

2011-12-13T22:49:00.004-06:00

Welcome to our newest little Mayfield, and thanks for your patience, Dave and Jess, as I finished up school before getting these done. I hope you already know, Baby Grey, how loved you are!

Final Project

2011-11-29T20:44:00.005-06:00

Well, half of it anyways (I still have to work on my Learning Management System).

I had to create a class website for my Technology and Media in Education course. It is something I've been working on throughout the semester, but today I put most of the finishing touches on it. I just have to add a slideshow of student work/photographs, so I'm hoping to scan some of Nathan's work in to create it. If you want to take a peek and come back and tell me what you think, that would be great! Anything I can do to improve the site before I submit it would be a good thing.

This class has brought me to tears many times as I've been left to create digital content and put this site and other projects together. I've had to act like I was a teacher, yet this is my first semester in actual education classes, so it was very overwhelming to create lesson plans, digital lessons, and a virtual classroom with no formal training. I'm torn between taking a class like this now, at the beginning, where now I can see and use the wide world of technology in future classes and lesson planning, and waiting until I've had a little experience under my belt and I know how and what to write in lesson plans, what is expected, etc. It's also been a challenge because technology lends itself very well to high school, middle school, and even upper elementary, but I've found myself thinking outside of the box on how to incorporate it into elementary school, especially kindergarten. The reality of a young elementary class is that each student will not have access to their own computer in the classroom, and even at home, they need help navigating class websites and such as they are still learning how to read.

So, in a nutshell, this class has been, by far, my hardest, just because I am learning not just new things, but new ways to think of things. And, as always, the things that are the hardest are usually the things that offer the most rewards ... and that is true for this class.

Now let's see if I can make it through the LMS without a complete meltdown! :)

Cute Kenie Word

2011-11-19T22:45:00.000-06:00

Kwispurrs = Scriptures

It's nice to have reminders to do what we're supposed to do.

Things I want to remember

2011-11-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

Things I want to remember about Nathan right now:

He is constantly doodling and drawing and writing. He carries a paper and pen around all day or afternoon and writes and draws all he sees and thinks.

When you ask him a question, typically one that I am rephrasing something he just told me, he responds, "Yeah!" with big eyes, a smile and eyebrows raised. There is an enthusiasm in his response that I just want to capture, and I love it.

He comes up with rhyming words for everything. His favorite set right now? Mommio and Mario. They not only rhyme, but they start with the same letter, and Mommio, of course, is his favorite person (wink).

He is very much into exploration. While in Destin at the Pier, he took Nate's empty Sunkist bottle and played with it for at least an hour. He blew into it, and then heard the wind blow into it. He showed me all the different sounds that the bottle and air would make, then asked for more Sunkist bottles so he could make lots of them make noise. If I could have bottled him up in that moment and kept him forever five, I would have given him a million Sunkist bottles.

The way he talks: zeh for the, yight for light, poh-kin for pumpkin. He has started speech and has a mile-long list of sounds he needs to master (I wonder if he'll make it out of Speech before graduating high school), and while necessary, I must admit it makes me sad to watch my boy grow before my eyes.

Things I want to remember about Kenadie right now:

She loves to jump on the trampoline, and it is a whole-body exercise for her; her shoulders and arms are very necessary in her jumping, and I love to watch her shoulders raise with every jump and her arms circle. I need a video of it.

She was recently very sick for an extended period of time. This necessitated a trip to the hospital to have labs drawn, an ultrasound and x-rays. I would carry her, and she was my little monkey. Her legs were wrapped around my waist, one arm wrapped completely around my right arm, her other arm wrapped tightly around my neck. She laid her blankie on my right shoulder under her head. After having blood drawn, she was not going to cooperate for the ultrasound. We showed her on my hand, we let her feel the jelly, but my little monkey would not get off of me. I'd free one arm just to have her clinging to the other. I ended up laying on the table, then she laid on my tummy and was just fine.

At the hematologist, the nurse asked her if she had any brothers or sisters. She said two sisters, then I said one brother. She quickly corrected me saying she had two brothers ... Nate Dogg and Sam.

The following week, Nathan became sick. Kena, now feeling better, took her blankie (her one comfort besides me) and tucked it around and over him, got a cracker and broke it into itty bitty pieces and fed him. Things I want to remember about Emerson right now:
- Emma is really trying right now. We have met with a counselor and have come up with a plan to help her, and really, help all our children. She is trying hard to implement things she is learning, as we are, and though not perfect, things are going better. I love everything that is Emma, and I am happy for guidance and inspiration it being her mother.
- I love her long hair and that she loves the highlights. I've always cut the kids' hair, but it is time for Carden and Emma to start getting professional haircuts. Em is SO excited, she can't stand it! She got a curling iron for her birthday and cannot wait to use it.
- She cleaned out the cabinets to have enough money to buy a design kit at the book fair. This kit includes a small light box which helps her trace and manipulate different clothing designs. One of the first things she did was make a portfolio for her designs, and it was a work of art in and of itself.
- Emma found a Tomato Hornworm yesterday, has researched it all on her own, and it feeding and observing it (these things have voracious appetites) until they take it to Carden's science teacher on Monday to live in her terrarium.
Things I want to remember about Carden right now:
- She tried out and got a speaking part in chorus production at school, and she is super excited. We had to arrange a special tryout for her since she was home sick during tryouts. I am proud of her and her work.
- She works on computer a lot with her homework. I am proud of the things she is doing and learning, though it does cause some friction between us ... she tends to get easily distracted while on the computer.
- She loves texting, and is always asking to borrow my phone to text Abby. If any of you get a text from my phone with funny spelling and/or word usage, it is Carden. She is my scribe while driving.
- She made my birthday cake, and while delicious, it was not a beautiful thing. She baked it in a bundt pan, it did not all come out, and she tried to frost it, meaning the frosting wouldn't spread because the cake would just crumb up. It was a butter cake with chocolate frosting, and she's decided that is her favorite kind of cake.
- She babysat the other night, and when we came home, the kitchen was cleaned! This has taken a lot of coaching, but she is really turning into a talented and capable young woman. I sure love her.
Things I want to remember about Sam right now:
- Gave me dying flowers, a box of chocolates and a card for my birthday and said it wasn't near enough to show his gratitude.
- I love his daily hugs and his sense of humor.
- Sam takes daily medications for a problem he has had since birth, one of them being thyroid. He gets quite sick if he does not take it as his body produces absolutely none. In the days leading up to him running out, I explained to him how to call and authorize a refill. He kept putting it off and kept putting it off, and every once in awhile I'd ask if he had filled his perscription yet, but he hadn't. Finally, I picked him up after school, and he decided it was time to get it, so he called. Afterwards, he told me it was hard to be an adult. I just smiled. Sam just turned 18 this last week, and when I was his age, I made a series of bad choices that I blush about as I remember, and it is interesting to watch him learn and grow and reflect on myself at his stage in life.

Change

2011-10-28T09:19:00.002-05:00

Almost two weeks ago, we found out our stake is splitting this coming Sunday. This is such exciting news, it has been something the Stake Presidencies have been working on for at least ten years. It has been over fifty years since a stake was created in Alabama, so it is truly historic! On Sunday it was announced that some ward boundaries are changing in preparation for the new stake, and it turns out that Nate and I are changing wards. We, along with a small handful of other families will now be in Madison First Ward. This is the first split that we've been a part of where so few people have come with us. It is also the first split that the girls are old enough to feel the impact. I've had a full range of emotions since I've found out, but my overwhelming feelings now are of faith and gratitude.

I love General Conference. The talks always speak to me and what's going on in my life. It is truly amazing to me, such a testimony to me that Heavenly Father loves me and is aware of me and all of His children. Last Sunday, we asked our home teacher over to give Kenadie a blessing as she had been sick for awhile. Nate and John also gave me a blessing. When I was reading the General Conference addresses, some phrases in President Packer's talk caught my attention, reminding me of my blessing. I started cross-referencing the phrase with scriptures and came across this scripture in Psalms 37 that has developed special meaning to me this week as these changes were announced:

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed."

Seven years ago, Nate and I were in the Madison Ward. Ward boundaries were shifted in numerous wards, and we were put into the renamed Madison Second Ward (a portion of Second Ward was formerly Harvest Ward, and a portion was us from Madison). Two years after that, the Madison Third Ward was created, of which we were a part. Now we are in Madison First Ward, effective November 2nd after youth activities. During that time, Nate and I have served in many capacities, developing some treasured friendships.

To me and the spot I am in my life right now, the above scripture tells me that even though change is hard and maybe not something I would volunteer to do, I need to 1) Have faith that Heavenly Father knows best how to progress His work and 2) serve others, and when I do that, I will 3) be fed with lasting, loving, treasured friendships. I know this is true because, although I am so sad to leave so many dear friends, I am rejoining a handful of friends that I dearly love because this scripture has been put to use in my life. Nate and I have served many people in the First Ward, and it was a really a comfort to me on Sunday to see some of these dear friends and celebrate being with them again. It was also sad to say goodbye to others, but I realized Sunday that friendships developed on love and service are lasting, enduring friendships, even if you don't see them all of the time.

So, on to our next adventure. On to meeting all the people that have moved into the Madison First Ward since we left seven years ago. We are excited, faithful.

And Nate is celebrating not having to wear a suit coat on Sunday!

P.S. Go here to read a post by my dear friend, Karen. Karen and I were visiting teaching companions starting ten years ago. We were companions for years and visited a dear friend (the one mentioned in her post). This dear friend was newly married, and the first time we visited, Emma was a newborn and Carden was 16 months or so. Carden colored on my new friend's couch, and I about died. I called later, crying, offering to buy my friend a new couch. Luckily for all of us, the crayon washed off. Karen and I continued to visit this friend for a long time together, and I visited this friend till the ward split. Soon after, she moved into the Second Ward and was assigned to be my visiting teacher. Happy Day! Now, in Madison Third Ward, Karen has been my visiting teacher ... for all 4-1/2 years! I truly am sad for the change, that Karen is not coming with us. But, I know these two friends of mine will always be my friends. What a treasure they are to me. So, until the wards split again, friends ... !

Okaloosa Island

2011-10-28T09:04:00.004-05:00

On Sunday evening,we headed down to Okaloosa Island to explore. I had never been there, but when Nate and his brothers go jet-skiing, this is where they drop off and pick up. When Nate and the boys' plans to go deep sea fishing were a no-go due to the rough water, they decided to rent jet skis, and the kids and I were going to go down and hang out on the beach and explore. We went fishing on the pier instead, but I still wanted to see this beautiful, untamed beach none-the-less. Just driving by, it was beautiful, I had to see it in person! A good portion was roped off as an animal preserve, but I would like to go back next year and spend a little more time there. Our friends met us there, they'll be in the next set of pictures. :)

2011-10-27T09:17:00.002-05:00

I have a new goal ... post 5 picture a day till I'm done with the beach pictures! So, today, it is me and my boy.

Gaurded Bravery

2011-10-24T21:09:00.005-05:00

One thing I love about Kenadie is that she is willing to try most anything. She's a brave girl. But, she has no problem when it comes to flat-out avoiding things that she has tried and decided she does not like. For example, the ocean. She's always been brave around the waves and water. The first day we were there (and for the whole trip, actually), there were strong waves. She was excited to get her life jacket on and go bob in the waves with the rest of us. We had a good time out there. The little two got tired, so I started to walk them back to the beach. When Nathan and Kena could reach, I made them walk, holding their hand so I could help them jump when a wave came. Well, a wave came, and Kena's hand slipped right out of mine. The next thing I saw was feet then head, then arms and feet, and maybe an arm and a foot again. It was actually a funny sight, though Kenadie did not find humor in the situation. And to prove the point, she did not get back in the water the entire trip. Even if there were little bubbles on the trickling ends of the wave that tickle your toes, she did not get near ... bubbles = white = wave that can cream one so little. Carden tried valiantly to get her back in the water, but to no avail. I love the black and white where Kena is telling Carden, "Don't you see that wave?!!!"

Nathan was so brave this year at the beach! We were so proud of him. It took me a few deep breaths to let him do some of the things he wanted to do, but in the end, it was really a fun thing to see him enjoy the beach and the ocean so fully.

Destin

2011-10-16T15:08:00.002-05:00

Lots of Time on the Computer ...

2011-09-27T20:20:00.000-05:00

... not much time on the blog or facebook or e-mail.

Sigh.

I started my first semester at Athens State University this fall. I am taking three classes and really enjoying most of it, but it is almost more than I can handle. Let's just say these classes are more demanding than my general ed classes.

I am taking Foundations of Education, Technology and Media in Education, and Fine Arts Connection. The last two classes are very creatively challenging. Fun in the creative part, but hard because I am stretching my limits, learning new things, thinking about things differently, and trying to get it all done on time.

I want to share a few things with you ... neither are finished, we are working on them through the semester, but I am proud of what they are now. First is my teacher website for my "dream" job. http://mayfieldhelloworld.weebly.com/

Last week, I had to create digital artwork for the blog, so I created the "Classroom Expectations," the flag, and the heart-hands over the earth. This last piece, I am using as a basis for a quilt square I have to make for my fine arts class (It has to be about me, show who I am). This website will be part of my final, and we will be adding to it over the coming months. In fact, this week I am making an animated video (!!!) for the website. Like I said, stressful. But in a good way.

Next is a blog I had to make. The topic was open-ended, an "educational topic you are passionate about," and that was probably the most stressful part. There is a website with all of the Alabama learning objectives for each grade, so I pulled a few kindergarten objectives off that website and came up with the idea of making a story where the kids choose what happens (did you ever read those types of books? I loved them!)

http://mayfieldhelloworld.blogspot.com/

I made Carden and Emma read and vote. I'm sure that won't be the last teaching favor they do for me! And, in case you are wondering, I am not an author, so please do not judge my writing/creativity in that department!

So, long story short, I've been spending lots and lots (and lots) of time at the computer. Just not as much time as I would like here on the blog. (Or on Pinterest.)

Thoughts

2011-09-09T19:30:00.003-05:00

Been watching some specials on 9/11, and it has brought back some vivid memories and thoughts from those days and times. Even though I did not know anyone who was personally impacted from loss of life or property, this was a defining moment in my life. I was 21, with a one-year-old and seven months pregnant. I didn't even know what the World Trade Center was. I'd never even really heard about terrorism. Nate called from work and told me I needed to turn on the TV, and I was glued to the TV in the terror of the moment. A little of the naivety of my youth was forever washed away. I can't even imagine what the thousands of people who lost loved ones went through. My heart still breaks for them. I honor the many heros of that day.

This is a beautiful article written for The Washington Post by President Thomas S. Monson. I am still learning the lesson every day.

9/11 destruction allowed us to spiritually rebuild
By Thomas S. Monson

The calamity of September 11th, 2001 has cast a long shadow. Ten years later, many of us are still haunted by its terrible tragedy of lost lives and broken hearts. It is an episode of anguish that has become a defining moment in the history of the American nation and the world. This week, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, along with Tom Brokaw, will pay its own homage to the unforgettable events of September 11, 2001.

There was, as many have noted, a remarkable surge of faith following the tragedy. People across the United States rediscovered the need for God and turned to Him for solace and understanding. Comfortable times were shattered. We felt the great unsteadiness of life and reached for the great steadiness of our Father in Heaven. And, as ever, we found it. Americans of all faiths came together in a remarkable way.

Sadly, it seems that much of that renewal of faith has waned in the years that have followed. Healing has come with time, but so has indifference. We forget how vulnerable and sorrowful we felt. Our sorrow moved us to remember the deep purposes of our lives. The darkness of our despair brought us a moment of enlightenment. But we are forgetful. When the depth of grief has passed, its lessons often pass from our minds and hearts as well.

Our Father’s commitment to us, His children, is unwavering. Indeed He softens the winters of our lives, but He also brightens our summers. Whether it is the best of times or the worst, He is with us. He has promised us that this will never change.

But we are less faithful than He is. By nature we are vain, frail, and foolish. We sometimes neglect God. Sometimes we fail to keep the commandments that He gives us to make us happy. Sometimes we fail to commune with Him in prayer. Sometimes we forget to succor the poor and the downtrodden who are also His children. And our forgetfulness is very much to our detriment.

If there is a spiritual lesson to be learned from our experience of that fateful day, it may be that we owe to God the same faithfulness that He gives to us. We should strive for steadiness, and for a commitment to God that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives. It should not require tragedy for us to remember Him, and we should not be compelled to humility before giving Him our faith and trust. We too should be with Him in every season.

The way to be with God in every season is to strive to be near Him every week and each day. We truly “need Him every hour,” not just in hours of devastation. We must speak to Him, listen to Him, and serve Him. If we wish to serve Him, we should serve our fellow men. We will mourn the lives we lose, but we should also fix the lives that can be mended and heal the hearts that may yet be healed.

It is constancy that God would have from us. Tragedies are not merely opportunities to give Him a fleeting thought, or for momentary insight to His plan for our happiness. Destruction allows us to rebuild our lives in the way He teaches us, and to become something different than we were. We can make Him the center of our thoughts and His Son, Jesus Christ, the pattern for our behavior. We may not only find faith in God in our sorrow. We may also become faithful to Him in times of calm.

Thomas S. Monson is president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Artwork

2011-09-07T22:52:00.000-05:00

Go COUGS!

2011-09-05T11:39:00.006-05:00

Nate took me to the BYU vs. Ole Miss game Saturday ... Lucky for me, Auburn pulled out a last-minute win against Utah State, so I had a happy man to sit beside for the BYU game. I got light-headed with screaming, Nate even joined in, and we made it on national tv at the end of the game. Nate's phone was blowing up with people texting him about being seen - on national tv - at a BYU game. There's a fan deep down there somewhere!

And, the funniest part of the day, a sign that said "Free beer for BYU fans!" Ha.

Changes

2011-09-04T20:33:00.005-05:00

We've had a few changes here at the Mayfield home recently.

First, my brother has come to live with us for the year. I am fourteen years older than Sam, so I clearly remember the days when he was my little man. I remember feeding him when mom was at work, forcing him to eat before the days of his growth hormone shots, bathing him, picking out his clothes ... he doesn't remember ever living with me. But that has all changed. We've enjoyed having Sam with us. He's funny and helpful, and his requirement from Nate for being here is to "make Alisha happy," so my life is pretty good with two guys in the home with that motto!

School has started, and the kids seem happy. Carden is rotating teachers, Emma has Carden's teacher from last year (first time that's happened!), and Nathan started kindergarten.

I shed a few tears when we dropped Nathan off, and I am anxious each afternoon for the bus to come for three reasons now, not just two.

That means little miss and I spend lots of time "just me and you." I love my best little three-year-old friend. She makes me smile a lot with her bouncing walk and her funny phrases and faces. When we get home from dropping the kids off, she yells through the house, "Is there anybody here?" Most of the time, Nate hasn't quite left for work yet, and she enjoys a few extra hugs from dad.

And, we've had lots of change in our home. I am standing at the front door taking this picture. French doors lead into the office, the kitchen and dining area are just beyond.

Still lots of work to do, as evidenced by this picture. Lots more things to hang up, bookshelves to paint so I can finish unpacking boxes ... Again, this is taken from the front door.

Don't you love my picture wall? We worked on this at Sisters Inc. last time. Lots of pics to replace, and the gold M will be painted. This pic is from the kitchen looking into the living room.

And here's from the living room looking into the kitchen. We are saving some money to get the cabinets painted. I'm so excited!!!

Here's from the dining room looking into the living room. In my mind's eye, I saw a large piece of artwork hanging on this wall. But ... the light switch placement ruined that plan. Dawn said she saw on a blog where someone used a window and broke out a pane to accommodate a switch. The brilliant thing about this plan is that you don't loose the function, but the visual space is still used. And the second brilliant thing? I had these windows on my fence outside, and one pane had broken out ... the pane I needed out! Perfection!

Long Overdue

2011-08-27T17:13:00.005-05:00

Carden celebrated her eleventh birthday while we were at the Callahan Farm. We celebrated with birthday waffles, Nate came back and spent the evening with us, and we ate cake and ice cream. She wanted a tea set, and I spent lots of time looking for the perfect set ... found it on e-bay, and the name is "Cherry Blossom." She was thrilled! With that tea set, she wanted a small little tea party. While shopping garage sales and estate sales, I've kept my eyes peeled for additions to the china so we'd have enough to serve a small group of girls, and we now have quite a cute little collection of mix-matched pieces ... some silver, some small, some a little bigger, it's been a fun little hunt (and I still hunt for pieces of the "Cherry Blossom" to give to her as future Christmas and birthday presents ... ). The girls also have some cup and saucers from Grandma Haynie. We kept putting Carden's party off until the house was somewhat done and presentable. Problem is, we are now at that point, but the calendar is merciless and is currently packed full ... So Emma and I decided to throw an impromptu surprise tea party. We called six friends, made some pom-poms, bought some flowers and prepared a tea party-worthy spread.

The girls showed up just in time, and I finished setting the table, then we all hid ...

Surprise!!!

Carden was so surprised, and I don't think the smile left her face the whole evening. The girls ate a fare of fruit cups, ham puffs, cheese and olives and pickles, veggies and ranch, cupcakes and hot chocolate (the creamer and sugar vessels held marshmallows and mini chocolate chips ... cute, huh?). We then made some yo-yo flower headbands, and the girls did a fashion/acting show. All night, we listened to some newly-purchased songs (and some old ones) on iTunes, and I think we may have registered on the Richter Scale when Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" played.

I so love my Carden, and she deserved such a fun, spoiling night. I wouldn't, couldn't, function without her. I tend to be harder on her because I expect so much of her, so any little time I can show her how much I truly love and appreciate her, I plan to take advantage of the moment.

Happy (long overdue) birthday, Carden!

Being a Mom is Exhausting!

2011-08-21T20:00:00.007-05:00

As Kena can attest: Friday afternoon, I walked into her room and she was taking such great care of her babies. They were all lined up, pacis in mouth, comfortably snuggled in their blankets while Kenadie read them a story. A few minutes later, I walked in to find Kena asleep. I feel that way most days, too, sweet girl!

So many things I love about the picture:
*The baby potty situated quite nicely for emergencies during the reading.
*The diaper bag on Kena's back - moms are always prepared!
*That Kenadie is wearing a yellow shirt over her dress - it is a babydoll shirt (which has me wondering how she got it on?).
*Books everywhere.
*That she shared her favorite blanket with her babies - moms always give their best to their little ones.
*That storytime included the pets.
*Our new carpet! :)

I Meant To. But I Didn't.

2011-08-02T22:55:00.004-05:00

I meant to take a picture of me and one of my best friends before she moved. But I didn't.
I meant to take a picture of her husband and my husband together, because, let's face it, they are dang good friends, too. But I didn't.
I meant to take a picture of my son and her son together since they are each others' first and best friend. But I didn't.
I meant to take a picture of our trusty old van, the gold one we've had for nearly ten years. But I didn't.

I DID say goodbye to the Smiths and to good ole Goldie last Thursday afternoon. Maybe I thought if I didn't pull out the camera, I wouldn't have to say good-bye. But I still did.

I already miss the Smiths. I am glad that they have our van and will remember us every day of their new four-year adventure at dental school. I hope it serves them well. I hope they have fun and learn and grow in this new place. I am sure they will, they are just 'that' kind of people. And, I am already counting down the four-years' worth of days until they (hopefully) come back.

Maybe a trip to Pennsylvania and some bribery to get them to spend the night on their way to Mississippi for Christmas will hold me over until then.

My Heart

2011-08-02T22:48:00.003-05:00

Nate took a half day off of work and took the kids and I to Point Mallard Water Park for the afternoon. On the way home, we were down to Kena and NateDogg, who consequently fell asleep, meaning we had a half-an-hour of uninterupted time to ourselves. We added to that time by driving by an "Estate" neighborhood (meaning lots are a minimum of 5 acres) in the Mooresville area. The drive was pretty, and I fell in love with my husband yet once again. I love that we are best friends. I love that we want to be together. I love that we can talk for an hour and still have more to say, even after 12 years, but still be comfortable saying nothing. I love him and he loves me, and that makes my world, and my heart, a happy place.

A Day at the Farm

2011-07-07T16:46:00.011-05:00

My heart is full when I get on facebook and look over a page that I 'like:' Pictures and Documents Found after the April 27, 2011 Tornadoes. Just a few days ago, my heart was particularly full as I looked at pictures of a newborn and his/her family. We suffered so little that day in comparison to so many others, and the fact that we have family (whom we adore, by the way) that is opening their home to us while our house is being repaired, really makes us feel like we are on vacation, not living through the results of a natural disaster.

And, in case you were wondering, here is what may happen on any particular day at the farm:

Doing schoolwork (Me, two classes, and the kids their summer workbooks)

Milkshake-making (Christian has helped Carden perfect the milkshake, our only complaint is that it's never enough!)

Garage Sale-ing

Paintballing: Game Playing (Settlers of Catan! Yay! People who will play with me! Also on the playlist: Clue, Life, and ERS):

Playing with (and for Savannah and Carden, taking care of) baby chicks:Four-wheeler riding: Napping:
Bike-riding (Kena's first time pedaling on her own!): Animal-caring (Carden took care of the animals on her own this week while Savannah was at Girls' Camp):Reading:Relaxing on the porch:Chores (Savannah and Carden are chore buddies as are Ty and Emma, and Christian and Nathan and Uncle Shawn):Cuddling: Admiring of animals:Just being plain cute:Making faces:Hide-and-seeking:Mud-pie making:iPad playing: Time-Outing (and in some cases, falling asleep because you have been in time-out for so long):

Lego-building:

Block-building imagining (Kena spent a long time making pizzas and ramps and towers and ... ):

Tractor-driving:

Slip-in-Sliding:

Honey-Doing (even self-imposed honey-doing, wink):

Sleeping-in: Being together: Hammock-swinging: Popsicle-eating:Cousin-loving:

And a million other fun things! We love being at the farm!

Alabama and Rain

2011-06-24T17:40:00.003-05:00

My family moved to Alabama in June. We were staying in an upstairs furnished apartment, just across the street from the apartment pool. I remember the enitre family staring out the window in shock as it rained and rained, so hard you could not even see the pool. I have come to love good Alabama rains (as long as I'm not driving in them), and they always make me think about that first storm and the hand of the Lord in bringing my family to this place, thousands of miles from where we ever thought we would be. I love Alabama, it is home.

Sore Throat, Hives, Tummy Ache and Bloody Nose

2011-06-21T21:29:00.003-05:00

What do these all have in common?

Well, let me tell you. They are symptoms of mono. Who knew? I didn't until yesterday.
Over the last month and a half, Kenadie has ran a fever over four weekends. The Tuesday after Memorial Day, she no longer had a fever, but broke out into hives for 1.5 days. Then a couple days later, she had a bloody nose. Last Tuesday, I took her in to the doctor after another weekend of fever. Her only complaint was a tummy ache. She was diagnosed with strep and put straight on an antibiotic. But the nose bleeds kept on, and in the evenings/nights, she would run a fever, so I took her back yesterday. The doctor felt confident it was mono, so ordered some blood work to rule out more serious infection and to positively diagnose mono. That's when I did a little studying and found that nose bleeds and hives are rare symptoms of mono. All her weird moods and out-of-the-ordinary, seemingly unrelated, symptoms all made sense. Strep is gone, she's anemic due to infection, and she does have mono. Today she's been running a high (106) fever that will drop down to 101-102 with Advil/Tylenol. Poor thing. She's pretty pathetic, but we know she will improve soon! Thank heavens for doctors, medicine and priesthood blessings!

Dads and Such

2011-06-19T20:23:00.007-05:00

I'm a lucky gal ... not only do I have a great father, but we had the privilege of spending a few days with him last week. I love my dad. He is so easy to be around. He's funny, he's smart, he's a hard worker. He let's things roll off his back ... kinda necessary when you have a bunch of daughters. Can you imagine having teenage daughters in the home for the last eighteen years? With still a handful of years left to go? He's one of my favorite people in the world, and I love him with all my heart! I asked the kids why they loved Papa, and this is what they said:

Carden: Cause he is extremely nice and loving and very fun and he is patient. He is super smart.

Emma: Cause he has cool stuff and he's fun to cuddle with.

Nathan: Cause he have Chase and his house is so fun.

Kenadie: Cause he's your daddy.

Not only do I have a great father, I have a father-in-law that I adore as well. Again, easy going (is that a requirement, or maybe a learned trait, of having eight children?), someone I trust and look to for guidance. Even though he and Nate have different personalities, he is so good to lovingly council with him and help him grow in his roles and church and at home. He is humble and faithful, and I love him.
And here's why the kids love him:

Carden: Cause he is super nice and he is patient, too. He's awesome because he loves to fish and he is fun when we go to sleep over at his house. He is loving and smart.
Emma: Cause he's fun to go fishing with.

Nathan: Cause he goes fishing with my daddy and me.

Kenadie: Cause him's daddy's dada.

I love my grandpa's, too. They are fine men that have left me a fine heritage. My grandpas are night-and-day different in their personalities, but they are each great men. I did a few posts on Grandpa Haynie in the month of April, so I would like to talk a little about my Grandpa Brimhall. He is a great man with a passion for learning. He is obedient and strives to better himself daily, whether it is learning something new, exercising, caring for his home and yard, or studying the gospel. He is writing an extensive personal history and sends out weekly e-mails that I love reading and learning from. Some of my favorite memories are visiting him in his office at BYU and then going to the Cougar Eat, watching TV or conference with him in the evenings while he peeled oranges and tossed sections to us (still one of my favorite fruits), all while sitting in he beanbag on the floor, him helping me type a paper for school and showing me how to save the paper multiple times during the process, picking produce from the garden, riding the four-wheelers, kneeling at the dinner table in family prayer, and having good manners so I didn't get bonked on the head. Educating yourself and being self-sufficient is important to Grandpa, and he is helping me and cheering me on with my schooling. I love my Grandpa.Camping at a family reunion, August 1996.

And last but not least, my husband and father to my children. I love him with all that I have. And the kids love him, too:

Carden: Cause he's dad. He's fun and funny and fun to wrestle with even though he cheats.

Emma: Cause he's fun to wrestle with and he's fun to go camping with.
Nathan: Cause he takes me camping and to Young Men's.
Kenadie: Cause.

We had a special dessert in honor of our daddy, Grilling Brownies (recipe here).

Carden was the mastermind behind the planning and preparing of the brownies, and she was a great director as I helped decorate.

Every day since school's been out, you can find Carden doing one of two things: Baking or reading.

She is reading the Warriors series right now. Granny has the entire series and lends the books out to the grandkids as long as they promise to behave for their parents. I love this bond that Carden has with Granny.

Most of the time, Carden is running her latest batch of cookies to the neighbors, but she made a special batch one day to take to her Uncle Shawn ... two plates, one for his office and one to take home to Aunt Dawn and family. We went to visit Shawn for Kenadie's first dental appointment. She loved every minute of it ... but that's a given, Uncle Shawn is pretty high up on the kids' favorite persons list. I think she was most excited to get her goodybag after the visit. She's seen the big kids get them, and though they've shared some of the goodies, she loved having her own. Carden's baking reminds me of me and my cousin, Eric, around the same age. We loved to bake in Grandma's kitchen, and there were always plenty of people to share our treats with when the family gathered. At our family reunions, we would always have a family meeting, and us big cousins would come up with skits or songs to share (Nate's rolling his eyes). One year, we did "The Cousins Go Marching" to the tune of "The Ants Go Marching,"and Eric and I were eight-by-eight as we stopped to bake a cake. I found a few pictures of my cousins and I a few years after this performance.Jarom, Lance, Kiara, Eric, Me

Me (16), Eric (15), Kiara (15), Lance (14), Jae (14), Jarom (13)

And, in the spirit of old pictures and father's day, here is a picture of my family the day of my high school graduation, 1997.

Top Row: Carly, Alisha, Mom, Abby, Dad, Sam, Jarom, Kiara

Bottom Row: Lacey, Lexi

Can you believe how big my sisters have grown? They are beautiful (young) women that I am proud to call my sisters. Lexi wrote a beautiful blog post about these lovely ladies. If you have a minute, go here and read it. I am a lucky gal. Beth, Alisha, Abby, Lexi, Kiara, Carly, Lacey

On Being a Mother

2011-06-14T08:53:00.004-05:00

I always wanted to be a mom, I don't remember a day without that desire. While pregnant with our oldest, my grandma told me, "You're life will never be the same." And it's true. Being a mom is the absolute hardest thing I've ever done, but the absolute best, most rewarding thing, too. And I know it will only get harder and more rewarding as the days and years march on and we face new challenges and adventures. So grateful for these four beautiful people who make me who I am.

Creative Genius

2011-06-09T23:40:00.000-05:00

I'm not blessed with only one, but two destructively-creative children. It is frustrating and hard at times, but other times, I just have to sit back and truly appreciate the creative genius that is my girl(s). Kena colors all over herself, almost daily. It doesn't matter that I think I've thrown every marker out, she still finds one (it doesn't help that the girls brought home their school supplies - it's a whole new stash of stuff I have to find and weed-out). Or something that will adequately take it's place (like Addie's M&M stamp - that was not fun as we found M&M stamp not only all over Kenadie, but all over Beth's house, too. Magic Eraser to the rescue!). It doesn't matter that we've spanked, lectured, shown her how un-pretty she looks, given her the whole "your body is a temple for your spirit" talk (all multiple times). She's even colored in her toenails (fairly accurately) the other day with blue sharpie. I have faith that she will outgrow this stage, and that someday I will be able to stop the lectures and discipline - in this area, at least.

Then there's Emma. Remember when she used crayons in the hot glue gun? Well, I was talking to her teacher the other day, and she told me of a paper Emma wrote on the topic "Tell of a time when you did something new." You got it, Emma wrote about the crayons and glue gun. Mrs. Foster told me she wrote about how I was mad, but it made such a beautiful piece of artwork that it was worth it. And, in all honesty, I cannot deny that fact. Just don't tell her that!

We had a yard sale Saturday, and I had a bag full of tights that I used to make headbands for Kenadie. Emma begged me to keep the tights, and I finally gave in. Sunday morning, she came in with this sock puppet, made entirely of tights and glue:
She made this one for Kenadie, and explained the detailed process she went through to get the hair, tiny strips of nylons, curled. Brilliant! And, I must add, the least messy of her creative endeavors to date. I love this girl! And she shared her love by making a puppet for each of her siblings and her cousin, Addie.

So maybe there is hope for Kenadie, after all. Maybe someday, her creative genius will be focused into something a little less destructive. For now, I am not holding my breath. Because tomorrow, both Kenadie and Emerson will have made some kind of creative disaster. Let's just hope I find the patience to appreciate the genius behind it.

An Answer, A Grad, A Cake

2011-06-09T10:44:00.001-05:00

Nathan had is five-year check-up just last week. I had to answer a developmental survey, and most of the questions involved Nathan doing something. One of these questions directed me to ask him questions such as "What is a cup?" "What is a book?" and write his response. One thing I asked him was "What is a house?"

"A thing what keep you safe."

I love that answer, on so many levels.

On his birthday, Nathan graduated from preschool: Ate hot dogs with his best friends:

Opened presents:

Blew out candles:
And took a bath with some of his presents:

"007"

2011-06-08T19:25:00.007-05:00

Breck's shirts say: 1)My job is so secret, I don't even know what I am doing, 2) Commie Busters. And, one of Breck's favorite quotes is "I have a balanced diet ... a cookie in each hand!"

We received some sad news, my dad's best friend from his mission, Breck, passed away.

Grandpa Breck, or Dale Webster Brechbuler, passed away Monday night at the age of 81.

Ever hear anyone say, "I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you ... " ? Well, for Breck, that was true. He worked for the National Security Agency, or the NSA (as he liked to call it, the "No Such Agency"), and took an oath to never tell anyone about his employment. He lived in Maryland, and after joining the church, had missionaries living with him. That is where my dad met him, and they called each other "007" and "Sam I Am" or "Sam Spade."

Breck had a sense of humor. He was always joking, playing pranks, and sending us comics he would cut out of the newspaper with a little typed note on top. We'd also get little plaques, stickers, and magnets with funny sayings on them, mostly about chocolate, one of his loves!

Talking about chocolate, there was never a shortage of Toblerone bars at mom's house ... when we'd start to run low, sure enough, a package from Breck would arrive with new chocolates, magnets, plaques, cookies, political books (he was conservative), and other goodness.

He always sent Nate birthday cards, usually with some kind of cowboy or redneck humor. So funny.

Breck was dad's best man at his wedding, and my brother, Jarom Breck, was named after him. When I was a baby, my parents had a doberman named Sam, and when they finally had another son, Sam was his name. Now my dad has his own Breck "007" and Sam "Sam I Am."

One of the last times he was here, Carden was a baby. He gave her some chocolate, and she got it all over herself. He thought it was hillarious, took pictrures, then sent me three or four copies of the picture in various sizes.

I think this trip, Breck bought mom and dad a new fridge, and on another trip he bought the a new cooktop. You see, Breck never married and had children of his own, so my dad and another missionary were his sons. Both my dad and this other missionary sent their sons on missions at the same time, Jarom to Bulgaria, and the other to Russia. Breck would send them packages under an alias because he knew his real name would cause them problems in the countries they were in. Can't wait to talk to him on the other side and find out what he really did.

We will miss our Grandpa Breck.

My Little Lithium Ion Battery

2011-06-05T21:48:00.004-05:00

I just learned (from my dad) that regular batteries slowly decline in energy output, but the lithium ion battery holds steady power and then just crashes.

Kenadie's sleep habits have been a struggle for me. All our other children are heavy, easy sleepers - like me. Kena, on the other hand, is a light sleeper, does not transfer well (say from car to bed), and is hard to get to sleep - like her dad. Always has been.

It got to be a fight to get her to take a nap. I would struggle and struggle to get her to sleep, then she'd be up past eleven at night playing. I decided it wasn't worth the struggle and the extended evening, especially since she shares a room with Emma who needed to get to sleep. So, I gave up.

She must have hit a growth spurt: over the last three weeks, I find her various places, asleep. One of the best was at the computer desk, standing, but her upper body was was laying on a chair, and she was dead asleep. Remember how I said she does not transfer? Well, I left her there in that same position, until she awoke on her own. Because every mother knows a child woken up before they are ready is not a happy child.

The funniest thing about her and her sleeping is that she is a lithium ion battery. There is no wind-down period in her sleep ritual. She is going, going, going, and then she is OUT. As in dead asleep in 15 seconds.

And so it was on this day:

Right after Rain

2011-06-05T09:33:00.005-05:00

I like to look for rainbows
whenver there is rain
And ponder on the beauty
of an earth made clean again.

I know when I am baptized
my wrongs are washed away,
And I can be forgiven
and prove myself each day.

I want my life to be as clean
as earth right after rain.
I want to be the best I can
and live with god again.

Snippets

2011-06-01T20:44:00.003-05:00

I am Carden Michelle Mayfield

Daughter of Nate and Alisha

Who needs my family

Who loves animals

Who sees art in everything

Who hates mustard and ranch

Who has found that she loves Auburn football

Resident of Madison, Alabama

Emma spent her own money and bought me a Mother's Day present for the first time this year. At church, the kids made little poems that were packaged in an envelope with a piece of chocolate. When Emma handed me hers, it was a little light and flat. Her response when I asked where my chocolate was? She said, "Mom, I already gave you a present!"

Nathan wouldn't let go of his Mother's Day envelope ... until I promised to open it so he could have the candy. We bargained, and ended up agreeing on sharing the chocolate. He hopped in the van after church, I visited with a friend for a minute, then opened the van door to a tiny smidge of chocolate left just for me, melted in his hand. Love those kinds of Mother's Day presents!

Kenadie's been sick. Running a good fever Saturday night through Tuesday morning. She is now fighting some hives, spreading all over her body, so she is pretty miserable. Not sure what's going on. Hopefully she'll be back to normal soon.

Actually, Five-Year-Old Boys ...

2011-05-25T19:47:00.005-05:00

Today is Nathan's birthday, the big '5.' As we were hopping in the van to go to a preschool party, I asked him if he needed help buckling his seatbelt. His response:

"Yeah. Acutally, five-year-old boys buckles dems own seatbelts."

And buckle he did.

I love you, son. Here's to a full year of new things that five-year-old boys do dems-selves.

Photos by Kim at A Green Field Photography.

Mother to Son

2011-05-23T11:10:00.002-05:00

So, I worry about posting this because it seems like I've posted a lot of "life is hard" kinda things lately, but that's not really the point of this post, though it can be taken that way. So, don't take it that way ( :) ), and that being said ...

In my American Literature class this semester, we studied a few Langston Hughes poems. I really enjoyed them, and especially this one, "Mother to Son." It is a poem of hope, a poem of passing heritage and life lessons to your posterity, a poem of inspiration and encouragement. I love the way it is written; to me, it says every person, no matter who or what they are, has struggles and trials in life, and through it all, we need to keep on keepin' on. That's what I expect of myself and what I hope for my children. So, last week, when I saw this picture on my friend and photographer's blog, this poem came to mind, and I wanted to share them together.

Climbing Higher

2011-05-22T20:45:00.003-05:00

We traveled on, trusting in God.

-Susanna Stone Lloyd

Today was a bittersweet day at church. I am again feeling overwhelmed with life and all that needs to be accomplished, but at the same time feeling very blessed in so many ways. I feel that I have so much to work on as a person, so many ways I need to improve. It's time to really ponder and prioritize, make sure I am putting first things first, and travel on, trusting in God.

Say Hey, I'm In Love With You

2011-05-21T08:21:00.006-05:00

I say, hey, I be gone today

But I'll be back around the way

Seems like everywhere I go

The more I see the less I know

But I know one thing that I love you, baby girl

I love you, I love you, I love you.

...

Now I'm not a highly metaphysical man

But I know when the stars are aligned you can

Bump into a person in the middle of the road

Look into their eyes, and you suddenly know

...

My momma told me don't lose you

'Cause the best luck I had was you

And I know one thing that I love you.

-"Say Hey," Michael Franti and Spearhead

Nate found this song, purchased it on iTunes and played it for me first thing after he next saw me. It has a fun beat, a catchy tune, and is just a feel-good song. But my favorite, and I think his favorite, parts are the above lyrics.

My first encounter with "Nathan Mayfield" was as I was getting ready for my first youth dance. I had a friend tell me about this hot guy that she would set me up on a dance with ... "and his name is Nathan Mayfield and he's President Mayfield's son." He wasn't at the dance ... at seventeen, he was a little too cool for the dances. I remember seeing him at one other dance, and there seemed to by a magical auora around him from the anticipation built up around seeing this hot guy.

Nate was cool and confident. I was shy and reserved. The first time I talked to him was after youth activities, I was fifteen, and he showed up at the Madison Ward building to play basketball. A bunch of friends and I were leaving to go see some Batman movie, the one with Nicole Kidman, and he told me it was a bad movie - the acting was lame.

When I came back from BYU, my best friend convinced me to go to a New Year's Eve party at Nate's house. I drove, but my mom wanted me home early, so we stayed for only an hour or so. I played pool, Nate came up and danced next to me, and I just stood there like a statue. He scared me!

About ten months later, Nate walked into Madison Ward's sacrament meeting. I was sitting with my family, next to my boyfriend. Nate stood in the doorway, looked around and we met eyes. He walked over, sat in the seat behind me and we said a few words to each other. My heart was pounding the entire meeting. Nate was so intriguing, yet he scared me to death.

Over the next month or so, he would invite me to parties, come to my place of work, and just show up at my house, always asking when I was going to break up with my boyfriend, always inviting me to hang out. I brushed him off because he scared me, and I honestly thought he was just messing with me.

I did end up breaking up with my boyfriend, and Nate called the next day and asked me out. We never looked back. He was the best thing that happened to me. I love that when you know, you know. I knew after the first few days that Nate was the one. It took him a little longer to admit it to himself, but when I was in New Mexico for Christmas and he called in the tens of times Christmas Day while we were out (all recorded on my Grandma's caller ID), I knew he knew, too.

After we were married, we would go to church or somewhere people knew us both but didn't necessarily know we were married, and everyone we met would always exclaim how lucky Nate was ... "You better treat her right!" One day, he told me he knew he was lucky, knew he married out of his league, but it would be nice if someone thought I was lucky, too. But I always knew how lucky I was, and still am.

I'm a lucky girl ...
... I have a man who adores me.
... I adore him, more today than when I met him.
... I have a man who is completely devoted to our family.
... I have a man who is fiercely protective of me.
... I have a man who works hard to provide me with so many comforts of life.
... I have a man who makes me laugh every day.
... I have a man, determined in all he does.
... I have a man who loves and serves our Savior, Jesus Christ.
... I have a man who I trust with every fiber of my being.
... I have a man who thinks I'm beautiful.
... I have a man who is brilliant and talented and oh-so-handsome.
... I have a partner in life, a partner in all the joys and worries, work and play.
I am a lucky girl.

Happy Anniversary, Nate. I'm so glad to be blessed with YOU.

Toomers for Tuscaloosa

2011-05-19T15:25:00.003-05:00

I've heard from many friends who are not locals that they have never witnessed a rivalry like the Auburn/Alabama rivalry. It can be downright viscious! But, in true Alabama spirit, the great people of this state have put aside their deep-rooted rivalries and and are helping those around us that need so much right now. I know that if the roles had been reversed, Tuscaloosa would be doing the same. That's just what it is to live in the great state of Alabama.

And, to celebrate, I thought it would be appropriate to post some pictures of Nate and the kids and I at the A-Day game (their spring scrimmage) on April 16th. We went by ourselves this year, brought Kenadie for the first time, and had a blast! I think Nate's doing a great job raising humself some little Aubrun Tigers.

After the game, you can go down on the field and get autographs ... Nathan was a little tuckered out and fell asleep in the middle of the hub-bub.

April 27, 2011

2011-05-15T19:41:00.005-05:00

This day is one I will always remember. This last few weeks have been some that I hope never to forget.

We started out the morning of April 27th at 6 am. The alarm went off just as the tornado sirens began sounding. Nate and I decided we would stay in bed, not get up and work out (Nate at the gym, me in the garden). We flipped on the TV, watched the weather for a minute or two and then rolled over to catch another 30 minutes of sleep. I checked e-mail to find out if school was delayed, sure enough it was. Nate left for work and told me to keep an eye on the weather as it was supposed to be a stormy day.

Nothing new in Alabama, right? I've talked with so many people about how we have become desensitized to weather warnings around here. My usual routine is to flip on the TV when a siren goes off, watch for a minute or two and go about my business. I don't watch much TV at all, so when I heard about these storms coming in and the chance of tornadoes all day, I did not really comprehend what that meant. I was completely caught off guard.

We piled in my closet at 11. I checked the girls out of school shortly after. The kids grabbed necessary items (blankets and pillows, books and more books, legos and hot wheels) around three and filled the closet with them. Carden was really nervous about everything, and I told her that if it made her feel better to get in the closet. That didn't calm her much, our little mother hen wanted everyone in the closet. Nate came home just before 5. I decided it was time to hop in the closet, but Nate held out a little longer.

All the sudden the power went out. And then all of the sudden Nate was in the closet. And all of the sudden, we heard the "train." the house shook, there was ripping and tearing and slamming. And as soon as it came, it was gone. In all the years I've lived in Alabama, this was my first tornado. I was in awe, I didn't know what to expect.

My friend, Sharon, took this picture of our tornado from her house. Notice how dark it is ... it is usually this dark at about 8:00 in the evening this time of year.

Our tornado is the little green one between Huntsville and Decatur. An EF1 tornado does not touch down. If it had, we would have been in a lot of trouble. The purple one is the one that hit Jared and Debbie's neighborhood.

Nate ran out first. He came back with a report, and after I calmed the kids a little, I ran out. What we got was not what I expected. I expected more, or I expected less. Our roof was down to the plywood in lots of spots, but we still had a roof. The fence was blown down, but not all of it. A large portion of our sycamore snapped and one of our ornamental cherries was blown over.

While outside, my sister-in-law, Debbie called. Their neighborhood had just been hit. They were OK, their house was still standing. Their neighborhood was not OK. There were deaths. And then we got off the phone, more storms were moving in and she had to take cover.

We had 3+ more hours of storms. Our home teachers came by to see if we needed anything. My brother-in-law, David, came by to drop off some of Nate's survival gear he had borrowed for a camping trip. I was mad at all of them because we were so not in the clear yet as far as bad weather. But we felt the great love and blessing of these men are in our lives.

At one point, I was pacing, not quite knowing what to do - worrying about family we couldn't get in touch with, worrying about my house, so I grabbed some food coloring to put back in the food storage closet. I walked in there, and there was water coming through the ceiling. Then we found water leaking in the girls' room, the hallway, the kitchen, the garage. Water came down through the walls, up through the carpet and hardwood.

I fed my kids cheez-it's and grapes for dinner, and that held us over till we and hamburgers at 10 at the Davies'. We came home and read scriptures and said prayers, ever so grateful that we were blessed and protected, and that our family was too. We prayed for those not so fortunate. It has been a lasting prayer in our hearts these last weeks.

This time has been so full of emotion for me. I don't know that I've ever experienced such strong emotions, so varying, and for so long a time. I am overwhelmed - overwhelmed by the love shown to us as people have offered to help in so many ways, overwhelmed by the task ahead of fixing our house, overwhelmed by the amount of devastation around us, overwhelmed by all the little miracles that have happened in the middle of this tragedy. My heart hurts for all those who have lost so much. I feel grateful, oh so grateful, for my Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am grateful for prophets who have counseled us to prepare, and that we are heeding that counsel. Grateful for the comfort a prayerful relationship with Heavenly Father provides. Sometimes I feel guilty for being overwhelmed because in the overall picture of the day, we have so much. We have our home, we have our possessions, we have our family. On top of all of this, I have a large handful of friends that are struggling with major trials in their lives. My heart is full of worry, prayer and hope for them. So emotion has been high and my heart has been full, so full.

In all my married life, there was only one evening where we were without power, and that was for about an hour or two. Our power went out minutes before our tornado hit and didn't come back on for five days. There were warnings that the water would not be safe after two days (Luckily they got the water plant up and running before it got to that point). Thursday morning I woke up refreshed and blessed with the strength to meet our challenges. I am happy to say we were prepared. We had a small generator (1000 watt) that charged phones, ran Nate's grill, etc. We had drinking water stored. Our cooktop is gas and we are able to bake on Nate's grill. We did not have ice in the freezer, so that was our only immediate need. But even that, had we not been able to get ice, we would have been OK. We planned meals with the Davies and Buchanans, and we ate well, trying to eat what would go bad first.

That's me on the roof! With Nate and Mark.

Thursday was a work day here at the house. We had a messy yard to clean up. We had a roof to put a bandaid on (I worked on the roof for the first time - and hopefully the last time - ever!). We were able to replant the cherry, and I think it will survive. We cut down the affected parts of the sycamore and picked up the fence. And, the mail still ran, so we had six bare-root fruit trees, twelve bare-root raspberries, and two bare-root grape plants that had to be put in the ground that day. I am so grateful we didn't have to do any of it alone. We are blessed with great family and friends that love us, and we love them.

Nate and his brothers, David, James and Jared, working on Jared's roof.

Friday and Saturday, Nate spent the day with his brothers up in Toney in Jared and Debbie's neighborhood. He took Carden with him on Friday, she wanted to help so bad. They said the devastation in that neighborhood was indescribable. Pictures do not do it justice. If you see a large-scale picture, you miss the detail ... the true parts of peoples' lives that are destroyed, but if you see a detail picture, you miss out on the vast destruction all around. I have since walked around Debbie's neighborhood, and there truly aren't words to describe. Saturday, Nate brought up a large number of people from our ward to help, and Debbie says as she turned and looked down the road and saw this large group of people walking towards them, these words came to her mind: "I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me ..." A true testimony that the Lord hears and answers our prayers through those around us.

Nate bought a large generator Saturday morning before leaving. We were able to run our freezer (which I am happy to say did not thaw out in those few days), our small fridge outside, and our washing machine. I woke up early in the mornings, sixish or so, and did not stop until nine at night when I'd fall into bed. It was good to be busy, to have things to do. I wondered how women used to get everything done before having so many of the conveniences we have today. Because all I got done were the basics.

Our impromptu clothesline, and popeyed pancakes on the grill.

Cell phone coverage was spotty. The last call I received was at 10:30 Wednesday night when Dad called to check on us. I am grateful for that phone call. After that, we could sometimes get texts in and out, but making a call was out of the question.

I feel like I handled the situation well, but my two moments of 'healing,' when I felt a little relief from the high-charged emotions were on Saturday night when I was able to get enough coverage with Nate's phone to call my mom for a minute. I told her we were well, I told her our story, it was my way of saying "You did a good job raising me, thank you. We, I, am handling this new situation well, and I know now we can do a little more if required." The second moment of healing was our impromptu Mayfield Family dinner Sunday at our house. We ate a delicious meal, and we hugged and cried and visited, and our hearts overflowed with thankfulness to be all together. Jared and Debbie, Nathan and Miranda (their neighbors and best friends) are my heroes. It was good to be with them.

We are now recovering. Nate spends the Saturdays he is not working helping with tornado recovery. In the evenings when there are no other obligations, we are building a shed, as a family (and a few friends - thank you!), to house our stuff while the repair work is done on our house over the next few months. Carden and Emma mark wood, Kenadie imitating them, the kids haul and hold in place and are the greatest helpers. My Activity Days girls and our other leader and I went up to Dublin on Wednesday to help sort donations. It is a heartwarming thing to see our community unite and help all around us. I feel so blessed to both receive and to give.

I've had a lot of time to reflect over the last few weeks, and it seems that in my personal studies, I've found so much to help me understand Heavenly Father's plan. So many times I've heard, "We were lucky." Many times, that is quickly corrected into "No, we were blessed." Over and over again, there are stories of little tender mercies all around. The strength of the people in such dire circumstances is amazing to me. Most of the time, they are praising the Lord, grateful they were spared and protected. In thinking of those who have lost their lives, their livelihood, their earthly possessions, I sometimes wonder why I was spared. I do not believe I was any more deserving, and I turn it over to my faith in the Lord ... that His plan is right and good. We all have things to learn, and trials and tests to bear. In the end, I hope to prove faithful in my tests and my trials. Maybe in this, my test and trial is to not forget, to continue to offer help after others have forgotten. Maybe it is to happily deal with what's going on in my life and realize that though it may be hard, it's not near as bad as others. Whatever it is, I hope to pass with flying colors.

I decline to accept the end of man. [ . . . ] I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail ... not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. The poet's, the writer's, duty is to write about these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him f the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past.

-William Faulkner

Our women are not incredible because they have managed to avoid the difficulties of life - quite the opposite, They are incredible because of the way they face the trials of life. Despite the challenges and tests life has to offer - from marriage or lack of marriage, children's choices, poor health, lack of opportunities, and many other problems - they remain remarkably strong and immovablve and true to the faith. Our sisters throughout the Church consistently "succor the weak, life up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.

-Elder Quentin L. Cook, LDS Women are Incredible

We would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most. Let us be mindful of the foundational precepts our Heavenly Father has given to His children that will establish the basis of a rich and fruitful mortal life with promises of eternal happiness.

-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Of Things That Matter Most

Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light.

-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Of Things That Matter Most

Atlanta

2011-04-25T09:06:00.008-05:00

This weekend, we headed to Georgia for the Atlanta Temple's Open House. There were many reasons for thsi plan - 1) I've been to two Open Houses, one for the Mount Timpanogous Temple and one for the Birmingham Temple. Both of these were before I was endowed myself, and I remember how special it was for me to go through the temple. I wanted that for my children ... and it's not every day that we get to participate in something like this. 2) My wise father-in-law, once in a talk at Stake Conference, counseled us to provide as many opportunities for our children to be in or near a temple. I remember him specifically talking about letting them touch the temple. Making the temple part of their lives and helping to feel the Spirit of the House of the Lord plants a desire in their hearts to go to the temple themselves. 3) We had lots of fun friends going to the temple, and it was a great thing to share with them.

We had discussed possible things to do while still in Atlanta, but in the end, just went to the Liahona (the church bookstore) and headed home. I really wanted to stop by this little cafe, The Wildflower Cafe, Nate and I discovered a month ago while we were driving through Mentone, AL on our way to Atlanta. It was so yummy then - Nate ordered chicken salad on sourdough and I had a sweet potato biscuit (yum.), quiche and a salad - and we were not disappointed this time. I ordered their brunch special which included a slice of tomato pie, quiche, and a cream cheese-filled crepe. The kids also enjoyed their home-cooked kettle chips, chicken fingers and pizza sandwiches. We are seriously thinking of ways and reasons to go back. If you ever find yourself in Mentone, please stop by. You'll be glad you did.

The girls were posing - somewhat funny, so I had to take advantage of the opportunity and snap a few pictures that I didn't have to beg, borrow, and plead for.

Inside Me

2011-04-22T09:25:00.003-05:00

* If I have to exercise, I might as well knock out two birds with one stone and get some much-needed yard work done. It's more pleasant early in the morning, anyway. Not to mention I have six fruit trees coming that I've got to make a home for.

* I never had callouses on my hands until I started gardening nine years ago. Now they are permanent fixtures on the palms of my hands.

* Ipods are great.

* I can't wait to have some beets from the garden. No one else in my family likes them, but, oh, the yumminess a pickled beet adds to a salad. I can't wait.

* There's nothing quite as cute as a dirt-covered kid. It makes me smile.

* There's nothing quite as messy as a bathroom after cleaning up a dirt-covered kid. Oh well, it's worth it.

* A picture of Jared and newborn Carden at the Birmingham Alabama Temple Open House keeps flashing through my mind. I need to find it and scan it. It makes me happy.

* I'm happy it's Easter weekend. I love my Savior. I hope my actions show that even more this coming year than last.

*Nathan has to give a talk in Primary Sunday. How am I going to get him to actually do it? I'll keep you updated.

* Time to clean house and grocery shop. Yay.

A Touch of Spring

2011-04-17T19:06:00.003-05:00

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.

~Ruth Stout

I've spent a little time during my travels editing my Touches of Spring this year, and oh, how I love a good lenten rose, crabapple or cherry blossom, forsythia, and new leaves bursting on an old tree.

Twenty Years Ago

2011-04-17T16:53:00.002-05:00

Mom posted this on her blog. I love it, despite the awful hairdo. It was the style, ok?!! (That's for my sisters who don't get the early nineties ... )

A Celebration, A Tender Mercy

2011-04-10T20:23:00.007-05:00

Visiting with my friend today after church, she said two things that I knew had to go in this final post about my grandpa. First, although sad and full of tears, this week was really a celebration ... a celebration of a wonderful, full life lived, a celebration of an amazing man, a celebration of family and the enduring bonds within a family. That it was, and I am grateful to have had this time with my family to celebrate the most important things in life. And although it was a celebration, we will all dearly miss Gramps, and we all pray for Grams' comfort. Second, it was a tender mercy that I was able to go. I had pretty much decided I wasn't going to be able to make it to New Mexico, plane tickets were $700+! Then, my brother found tickets for $250. It was a miracle, truly a tender mercy from the Lord. I am so grateful I was able to go, I needed to be there, and Heavenly Father knew that even more than I did. I am grateful for what this week did for me as a person, for the lessons I learned and the love I felt, and I hope I was able to give back a little of that to my family while I was with them.Sunday was a family viewing, Monday was the funeral service, and Tuesday was the military service and burial. So glad I was there.

Treasures

2011-04-08T16:07:00.007-05:00

One of the statements made at Grandpa's funeral that I enjoyed was that Grandpa found value in every single person just as he found value in every little thing laying on the side of the road. Grandpa was opinionated, and let you know in no uncertain terms that he disagreed with what you were doing or not doing, but he still valued and loved you for who you were. He was always helping others, bringing people in, and loved people unconditionally. Every person was a Child of God in Grandpa's eyes, and deserved to be treated as such. The second part of the above statement refers to Grandpa's collection of stuff. Grandpa grew up during the Great Depression, and as such, could never stand to throw anything away. He had a train car (that, incidentally, used to be where my dad slept in the summers) that is packed to the gills with STUFF, many sheds, a chicken coop, a root cellar, and other buildings brimming with his collections. I've always dreamed of exploring these places, but was always afraid Grandpa would get mad. Once, Jarom found a whip that he wanted, and Grandpa would not let him have it in the event that Gramps would need it one day (I remember Dad being mad about this). Four years ago, my family visited Grams and Gramps over Thanksgiving, and Lacey asked for some old milk cans and wash basins, but Grandpa said no. Grams came to her later and told her to take whatever she wanted, so Lacey and Mom, the night before they left, snuck out and loaded up Dad's truck. When Mary came to pick Jarom, Beth, the girls and I up from the airport, we found a (broken) retro-styled bar stool in the back of the van ... probably his last find. Mysti told us a story of getting in trouble with Grandma: Grandma and Mary were driving down the road and saw an old suitcase on the side. They stopped, hopped out of the car and tossed the suitcase as far as they could into the field. Later, Gramps and Mysti were driving down the same road, and a glint happened to catch Grandpa's eye. He hopped out, trapsed into the field and grabbed the suitcase. Grandma was mad at Mysti for letting him bring it home! On the other hand, it was told at the funeral that Gramps was there at every service project with all the tools, etc., needed, so at least some of the stuff was used. I remember the last time I went to New Mexico discovering one of Gramps' creations. He took an old tractor seat, a heavy-heavy duty spring, and a tire and some concrete and made a chair. I knew I wanted to bring home a treasure or two, but since I was flying, I had to limit myself. I was able to finagle bringing home four wire baskets (two of them were super heavy), an ironware pendant light (18-inch diameter at the widest ... to go over my dining room table), two ironware bowls, a pair of old ice skates, a small jar and an oiling can. Lacey took some fun pictures of the kids playing in the junk, and one day, for a few minutes, I took my camera out exploring since I couldn't bring it all home with me. Hope you enjoy some of Gramps' treasures.

A Memoire

2011-04-08T07:04:00.009-05:00

Upon arriving in New Mexico, I learned that each family of grandchildren was to nominate a speaker to share that family's memories of Gramps at the funeral service. Jarom nominated me first, and all my sister concurred saying I was the most eloquent speaker and could hold myself together better than anyone else. I knew we were in trouble as I #1) am not an eloquent speaker, and #2) can cry with the best of them. But I managed to get through this talk, and I am glad, and honored, that I had the privilege of doing so.

A Memoire of Our Gramps

By Alisha Mayfield

April 4, 2011

I was in Atlanta with my husband when my dad called to let me know Grandpa had passed away. It was midnight, or close there to, where I was, so I climbed into bed after the conversation and tried to sleep. That night and the next morning, as I sat in the hotel room and thought about Gramps, I found comfort in a facebook comment made by my dad's cousin, Pam. She said, "God broke the mold when he made Uncle Ed, he was a one-of-a-kind uncle who brought so much fun and laughter and aggravation to the table. He kept things lively and interesting ... He loved his family with a passion and zeal and I learned from that loyalty to family." There couldn't be truer statement, and I want to share with you my brothers and sisters' memories that illustrate these qualities of my grandpa.

Grandpa worked on the railroad. That is me standing in front of him.

Gramps was an avid storyteller. He always wanted my sisters and I to sit on his lap as he told us about the founding of Manassa, CO, his brother LaVor, his days in the navy and how he finagled the rules to join at the age of 17, about the prettiest little waitress he ever saw (aka Grams). The last time we saw Grandpa was at my sister, Kiara's wedding, and even being sick and frail and Kiara in all her wedding attire, he had her sit on his lap as he shared stories with her. We were lucky to spend time with Gramps this summer, and he told Beth, our sister-in-law, "What are you doing cleaning the kitchen? Come over here, I have stories to tell you, and I won't be around forever." Those hours are truly treasures.Gramps was very opinionated, and he didn't have a problem letting you know it. One time he was visiting when Carly, my sister, brought her boyfriend home. Poor Mason had a shaggy haircut, and Gramps said to him, "Get your hands off my granddaughter. Bring me a bible!" Then he read to him 1 Corinthians 11:14, "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?" We loved to visit Grams and Gramps here in New Mexico. We came once over Christmas, and I ended up getting strep throat. It snowed, and as children, that was a real treat since we lived in southern California at the time. My sister, Kiara, and my cousin, Mysti, built me a mini-snowman and put it in the freezer since I couldn't go out and play - that was, it was in the freezer until Grandpa found it. That was the end of the snowman. We loved to swim int eh above-ground pool, jump on the trampoline - one at a time, and play taxi by driving the tractor around the yard. Jarom, my brother, ran the tractor into a tree, and Gramps fussed at him, "I don't know why I let you drive around on this thing. Get out, just get out!" He obviously had a soft spot for us, though, because it wasn't long before Jarom was driving the tractor again. My sisters Carly and Lacey topped this, though, when they ran the tractor into the side of the house. Gramps had a sense of humor. He loved to draw us in for a kiss and then pop his dentures out. He did this to Mom the first time he met her. When he came for Jarom and Beth's wedding, he told Beth, "You don't want to marry him! You don't know him like I do. I've known him a lot longer than you, and you really don't want to marry him!" He was in his baseball cap and overalls, and never bailed her out with a smile to let her know he was joking.

Aunt Mary, my Dad, Aunt Linda

Gramps fixed everything. When he came to visit, Mom would have a list of honey-dos ready for him, and he would come up with projects of his own. Once, while visiting my senior year, he came to pick me up from my exams. We pulled over to pick up an ironing board that he wanted to fix for a lady back home (so he carried it from Alabama to New Mexico).

My Mom and Dad's wedding

Left to Right: Aunts Debbie, Jennifer, Susan, Uncle Scott, mom's friend, Uncle Mark, mom's friend, Uncle Greg, Aunt Linda, Uncle Jeff, Aunt Denise, Mom, Dad, "Grandpa" Breck, Grandma Haynie, Grandpa Haynie, Grandma Brimhall, Grandpa Brimhall

Talking about driving, Gramps was notorious for his driving. It was always a joke ... We would be driving around town and tell him we needed to turn up ahead, and he would cut all lanes of traffic to turn immediately, going down the wrong road. The same trip when he picked me up from exams, he made me drive our 15-passenger van home and then fussed at me the whole way about letting off the brake at this point and punching the gas at another. I let it all go in one ear and out the other because I didn't want to drive like Gramps.

Gramps and some of his siblings, left to right, Lorraine, Gramps, Grams, Willis, Colleen, Morris, Anna Mae, Jim, Betty

Gramps lived with my family for many months in 1997 and 1998. I was away at college, and it was a spur-of-the-moment decision to stay, but my dad says that was one of the best times he had with Grandpa. They worked together at Space America building a rocket and really enjoyed that time together.

My dad is the baby.

Gramps was the friendliest person I knew. This summer, on the way back from the gas station, we stopped at a red light. There were some electricians working in the intersection, and wouldn't you know it, Gramps rolled down the window and struck up a conversation. He was always trying to find long-lost relatives in all the strangers he met.

Gramps is holding my dad.

There is no doubt in my mind that the two most important things in Grandpa's life were his faith and his family. Grams and Gramps served a mission in the Philippines, and I remember how much they loved the people they served; even as a young child, it made an impression on me. Once, he talked Sam, my brother, into cutting up an apple for him. Unfortunately, Sam cut his finger along with the apple and had to go to the ER for some stitches. Gramps felt absolutely awful and beat himself up over it for the rest of the trip. Like I mentioned before, Grams and Gramps came and visited this summer at my parents' home in Oklahoma. There was concern for his health and such a long travel, but he was determined nothing would stop him from seeing up. We were told he was happier during that week than he had been in a long time. Gramps was so genuine, and we all knew he loved us and wanted to be with us.

At Tate Farms in 2003.

My most precious memory of Grams and Gramps is from ten years ago. My husband and I had been married just over a year, we had our first little baby, two months old, and we were able to go to the temple and be sealed sooner than we had planned. We called and gave less than a two-weeks' notice of our plans, but Grams and Gramps made it a priority to be there with us. As I reflect on Grandpa, on who he was and what was most important to him, this memory sums it all up. He believed in Jesus Christ. He loved his Savior. He loved hi family more than any man I know. He knew that he could be with his family forever through the gospel of Jesus Christ. I knew that Grandpa had this testimony as I was in the temple with him ten years ago, and it is this testimony shown by the life he lived that gives me hope and something to look forward to when I see my Grandpa again. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen, The thing that struck me the most through the service was that everyone's memories and accounts of Gramps were the same. From his driving to the things he said, from the values he held and the way he acted on those values ... if you knew Gramps, you really knew Gramps.

And now for a list of "Haynie-ism's": "Well, alright." -whenever you said anything to Gramps "Don't look at me in that tone of voice!" -if Gramps caught you looking at him "I don't know about you." -when you told Gramps something "Give me another piece, I'm gonna be sick anyway." -after dinner "What are you looking at?" -another if Gramps caught you looking at him "Come here you little girl." -to the boys

Home Again

2011-04-07T20:42:00.002-05:00

After a week-and-a-half, I am home again. Kenadie has not left my side all day. Nate and I spent the beginning of last week, sans kids, in Atlanta. While in Atlanta, I received a phone call from my dad announcing my grandfather's death. We returned home and in less than 24 hours, I was heading to New Mexico. Even with these sad circumstances, there was a silver lining. All my siblings, my parents, my cousins (some of whom I haven't seen in 12 years), my aunts and uncles and other extended family gathered together. It was wonderful to have time together with these people I love. I was with Grandma and Aunt Mary a good bit of Saturday by myself as Dad and family and Kiara and Alan were driving in and Jarom and Beth went up to Albuquerque to run errands and pick up Carly and kids. I was touched by how many visitors we had, I loved to meet friends and even some extended family, and I was so grateful for all the help and love shown my family at this time. It is really the first time I have been on the receiving end of sympathies, and the love that was shown was amazing. Goes to show how well loved my grandparents are, what great people they are. Although I would have loved to visit while Gramps was still with us, I will always be grateful for this week I had with my family.

Gramps

2011-03-30T08:06:00.002-05:00

A couple days ago, I received a text from my sister telling me my grandpa, Grandpa Haynie, had taken a turn for the worse and was given no more than six months to live. We began planning a trip early this summer to go and see him. Then, last night while Nate and I were at dinner, my dad called and said he was given days to weeks. An hour or so later, Dad called back and said Gramps had passed. There are so many things I love about Gramps. He is truly a one-of-a-kind ... just thinking about him makes me smile and shake my head. Gramps loved his family. I know that sounds generic, but he really loved his family, probably more than anyone I know. He was concerned for, proud of, and prayed for in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews. There wasn't a family reunion that went by that he didn't make it to. Gramps spoke his mind, and he was very opinionated. I had a friend come over once during my senior year of high school. It was a guy and he had an earring. Grandpa let him know in no uncertain terms that young men and earrings do not go together, and somehow a story of his days in the navy got thrown in ... I can't quite remember the story, but it had something to do with a superior officer making guys do lots of extra work. Gramps didn't like to throw anything away. When he'd come visit, he'd fix stuff. We had some chairs in our dining room that were covered in vinyl fabric. Well, the fabric had ripped, so he went about reupholstering the chairs. That same trip, he put new screen in the screen door, and did a bunch of other little things around the house. Again, when he visited my senior year, he picked me up after school one day. It was Christmas time, so I was at school later than Kiara taking a final. He drove Clifford, the big red van, to come pick me up, but made me drive home. On the side of the road, there was a big pile of trash, and in this pile of trash was an ironing board. He made me turn around so he could get the board. He knew someone at home (in New Mexico) that needed an ironing board, so he grabbed it to take it home to her. Gramps was friendly. He can't go to the store or anywhere else without striking up a huge conversation with someone. This summer, Dad, Aunt Mary, Aunt Linda, Gramps and I ran to the gas station. On the way home, we were stopped at a red light. At this light were some electricians ... and wouldn't you know it, Grandpa rolled down his window and started talking to the electricians. We all just laughed and rolled our eyes, that was our Gramps, through and through. Like I told you, Gramps loved his family. And, he was friendly. He was always trying to find out if some person he was talking to was related to him somehow. One time, he was in town when our youth group went to the temple in Atlanta, and he and dad came with us. While in the temple, he discovered my best friend had the same last name as his mother's maiden name, and he worked and worked to find a connection. And then he told me I needed to find a connection. Being a teenager, I brushed him off. But he was always trying to find connections with the people he met. Gramps and Grams served a mission in the Philippines. They returned home from their mission right before we moved to Alabama. I was young, but I knew he loved the people he served. They also served in the temple as temple workers for a long time, and I knew how important that was to him and Grams. Gramps was a joker. He loved to have you sit on his lap, and he would always ask you to give him a kiss then pop his dentures out at you when you tried to kiss him. Mom said he did this to her the first time they met! Although Gramps was opinionated and had no problem telling you what he thought and what he thought you were doing wrong, he still loved and accepted you for who you were. Gramps himself didn't always make the right choices, and I think this gave him the perspective needed to love unconditionally. He was a great example, though, of someone who repented and moved forward in faith. And, he wanted so much for those around him to do the same. Gramps and Grams came to Alabama to be here when Nate, Carden and I were sealed in the temple. How wonderful, and how grateful I am that we were all there together. That specific memory gives me hope and a great sense of expectancy, because it will be a very similar atmosphere when I see my Gramps again. I am so grateful that they came and shared that time with us. What a blessing, especially as I am sitting here reflecting on my Grandpa, on life, on death and on the great Plan of Happiness. In closing, a few notes from others that have been posted on facebook: Sam, my brother: Death doesn't hit you until you realize you'll never be able to talk to or touch that person again. Rest in peace grandpa. Lacey, my sister: will never forget the many lessons learned and the memories made with my sweet gramps. It is always hard to lose a loved one, but I find comfort in the fact gramps is no longer hurting and suffering and I know I will see him again. Love you sweet gramps. Beth, my sister-in-law: I'll never forget what Grandpa Haynie told me the night before I married Jarom as I was meeting him for the first time, "You don't want to marry him!" and I didn't even crack a smile as he sat wearing his overalls and baseball cap and I loved him immediately. :) We are going to sorely miss him, he was so funny and sweet. Keep watch over us Gramps until we are together again. Pam, my dad's cousin: ...God broke the mold when he made Uncle Ed, he was a one of a kind uncle who brought so much fun and laughter and aggravation to the table. He kept things lively and interesting and I have so many wonderful memories of my times with ya'll. He loved his family with a passion and zeal and I learned from that loyalty to family. He will be sorely missed.

Joy of Love :: Almost Done

2011-03-20T10:38:00.001-05:00

Moby Dick

2011-03-19T22:10:00.003-05:00

Nate and David took the kids and Jessica and I fishing today. We went to a friend's pond, one that you 'catch things left and right.' Well, today was a bit of an exception ... they only caught three fish total, but Carden's fish made up for it!
Dave hooked a tiny minnow for Carden to cast with and walked away about 30 yards. Nate was thirty yards in the other direction, and they both noticed her bobber moving. They told her to set the hook, and she said, "It's resisting!" Nate, being the good dad he is said, "Well, duh, Carden, it's a fish!" And then they saw the fish bubble in the water. All the sudden they were yelling, "Just hold it! Just hold it!" and they took of running. Nate found a net, Dave worked the fish ... for ten minutes ... and finally we pulled up a catfish. And not just any catfish, but a catfish wieghing at least 15 pounds. Amazing thing is, Carden had a cheap rod, an eight-pound test line, a cheapo little hook (that was all bent to pieces by the end) and an inch-long minnow (Dave said he felt guilty even putting that minnow on the hook it was so little ... didn't think they'd catch anything on it). It's been the talk of the day!

Joy of Love :: Another Installment

2011-03-19T08:24:00.002-05:00

Thoughts of my Heart

2011-03-13T23:11:00.006-05:00

I shared this in Sunday School today, but have felt the need to share it here, too ...

First off, let's just state for the record that I am a horrible faster. I've never been good at fasting. But, in the last 1/2-year, I decided that I no longer had the excuse of being pregnant or nursing (ok, so that was about 2 1/2 years late, but let's not judge here ... grin), and it was time to really work on this aspect of my personal worship habits. A few weeks ago, we had a beautiful lesson on fasting that further inspired me, and I thought long and hard about what I wanted to fast for last week.

Carden and I have been butting heads. I loose my cool so quickly with her, and I know many times we can barely tolerate each other. It hurts my heart, and I am afraid for long-term damage to our relationship. This became the focus of my fast.

Funny thing is, I was looking for ways to help her, not necessarily ways for me to change. Yes, I know, naive. What's that scripture, remove the beam from your eye before you try to help your neighbor with their mote ... yeah, I know.

But the beautiful thing is that my prayer, and especially my fasting, were answered. Not all at once, though. In Sunday School, we were studying the Beatitudes.

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:5).

The discussion in class on this scripture inspired me to further research this topic, and the meaning and application of being meek, as an answer to my problem. In a talk given by Elder Robert D. Hales, he says, "We should be like Edward Partridge, of whom the Lord said, 'His heart is pure before me, for he is like unto Nathanael of old, in whom there is no guile' (D&C 41:11). To be guileless is to have a childlike innocence, to be slow to take offense and quick to forgive. These qualities are first learned in the home and family and can be practiced in all our relationships. To be guileless is to look for our own fault first. When accused, we should ask as the Savior's Apostles did, 'Lord, it is I?' (Matt 26:22). If we listen to the answer given by the Spirit, we can, if needed, make corrections, apologize, seek forgiveness, and do better" (October 2008 General Conference, Christian Courage: The Price of Discipleship).

In Relief Society, we had a completely unrelated lesson, and at the end, a scripture (2 Nephi 31:19-20) and a quote were handed out. This last week during my studies, I also did a little research on those, and found additional answers to my prayer and fasting: "Do the best you can ... but whatever else you do, cherish that role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones ..." and quoting a letter from a mother, the talk goes on, "Through the thick and thin of this, and through the occasional tears of it all, I know deep down inside I am doing God's work. I know that in my motherhood I am in an eternal partnership with Him. I am deeply moved that God finds His ultimate purpose and meaning in being a parent, even if some of His children make him weep. It is this realization that I try to recall on those inevitably difficult days when all of this can be a bit overwhelming. Maybe it is precisely our inability and anxiousness that urge us to reach out to Him and enhance His ability to reach back to us. Maybe He secretly hopes we will be anxious and will plead for His help. Then, I believe, He can teach these children directly, through us, but with no resistance offered. I like that idea. It gives me hope. If I can be right before my Father in Heaven, perhaps His guidance to our children can be unimpeded. Maybe it can be His work and His glory in a very literal sense.' ... Moved by that kind of devotion and determination, may I say to mothers collectively ... the very fact that you have been given such a responsibility is everlasting evidence of the trust your Father in Heaven has in you ... If you and your husband will strive to love God and live the gospel yourselves; if you will plead for that guidance and comfort of the Holy Spirit promised to the faithful; if you will go to the temple to both make and claim promises of the most sacred covenants a woman or man can make in this world; if you will show others, including your children, the same caring, compassionate, forgiving heart you want heaven to show you; if you try your best to be the best parent you can be, you will have done all that a human being can do and all that God expects you to do" (Elder Jeffery R. Holland, April 1997 General Conference, Because She is a Mother).

I know Heavenly Father listened to me and answered my prayers. It took effort on my part, it took fasting and studying, pondering and listening. It wasn't all direct, it wasn't all at once, and it came from different avenues of studying. But, this further testifies to me that it came from my Heavenly Father. Solving my dilema is going to take more work on my part, working to become meek and guileless. It is going to take more prayers asking for help and guidance and working as a partner with my Heavenly Father. But I know all will be well because He is there to help me and my most precious possession, my family, in all our needs.

You Know Trouble's Brewin' When...

2011-03-02T12:38:00.004-06:00

You are sitting in your room and hear someone in the bathroom and the only people home are you and a 3-year-old and a 4-year-old.

The situation gets even more precarious as the following conversation ensues:

Me: Who's in the bathroom?
Mysterious Person (with a sweet little voice): No one!
Me: Yes, someone's in the bathroom, who is it?
Mysterious Person: Is not Kena-E.
Me: Kenadie, are you in the bathroom?
Kenadie: No is not anybody!
Me: Kenadie, what are you doing in the bathroom?
Kenadie (now with a whole lot of attitude): Any-sing!

Turns out I had some poopy panties and a girl with a whole lot of mouthwash "in" her mouth (in other words, on the surrounding counters).

What a good way to start the day! I needed a good laugh.
Before cleaning up a poopy mess.

Joy of Love :: Part 2

2011-02-22T15:12:00.002-06:00

President Monson Quote?

2011-02-17T08:20:00.001-06:00

Someone had a quote, I think from President Monson, on their blog recently, and I didn't write it down, but had the desire to, and now that I have pen and paper, I can't find it. Did any of you post it?

Joy of Love :: Part 1

2011-02-13T10:45:00.003-06:00

Celebrations :: January 18 - 30

2011-01-30T11:01:00.011-06:00

One big event of the last two weeks was our trip to Auburn to celebrate the National Championship. We woke up early, joined 78,000 people in the stadium and cheered almost as much as we did during the games. They played the game over again on the JumboTron, and we enjoyed the last quarter, maybe even more so this time since we knew the outcome. I loved watching all the people, the cute little kids in front of us, the students that celebrated on the field. It was a good day. We were starving after the celebration and found the only uncrowded spot - far enough down the road - Papa John's. Pizza never tasted so good! Nate bought Nathan a miniature helmet, and he was completely bummed once he tried to put it on and realized it wouldn't fit.

James and Gavin rode with us, so I sat in the middle of the Tahoe with Nathan. He kept asking to hold my hand, and held it most the way down and back. I love my little boyfriend. :) I even loved him more when I started working through my pictures and noticed every time he noticed I was snapping, he started being a goofball. First, doing karate, second the Robot.

Here's the project from last post: banquette seating. I love it, I love the extra room it provides in the space, and the extra storage is a sure bonus! It's mostly all painted - Nate is going to do the baseboards because his hand is so much steadier than mine. I have big plans of painting artwork, the walls and ceiling of the space, and sewing a new window treatment and cushions and pillows. It looks fabulous in my mind's eye! Can't wait for it to come to fruition!
The other celebration of our two weeks? Well, it was Kenadie's birthday! The third one to be exact. The whole week was celebrating - with friends at preschool, with Daddy when he returned home from Arizona, with cousins at Sisters Inc. It was great! And the best part? She is three and didn't mind that there wasn't a 'special' cake or party decorations or any of that sort. That's what comes with being the fourth, I guess. :)

A little letter to Kenadie:

Kena Pooh,

It's hard to believe my baby is three. You bring such a happy tone to our home, none of us can imagine it without you.

You are very independent ... I am constantly told, "Mommy don't help me!" as I walk past you, try to get you into and out of the car, dress you, help you go potty ... you want to conquer your world on your own.

You love to dress yourself. It is a good thing, but it also causes a whole lot more laundry than is truly necessary. Your older sister, Emma, paved the way nicely for you because I don't even blink when you come out wearing purple and black striped Baby Legs under turquoise and teal striped leggings with a pink ruffled shirt on. In fact, last Sunday, I did not get to you fast enough and you completely dressed yourself for church. Unfortunately everything was on wrong so we had to re-do it, but I am proud you tried. Another thing you like to do by yourself is help with the laundry. You love folding your clothes and hanging your shirts up, and you are really pretty good at it.

You love to color - on yourself mostly. It drives me crazy, and we are constantly talking about how our bodies are temples for our spirits and we should not color on them. It doesn't help that you now share a room with Emma, the creative ~~mess-maker~~ artist of the family. There is always a constant supply of "things that should be put on the top shelf so Kenie can't get them" within your reach.

You adore babies. Real babies, baby dolls, baby puppies, baby goats ... if it's a baby, you love it. You are a good little momma to your babies. You feed them, you dress them, you teach them how to go potty.

You honestly adore all your family - brother and sisters, mom and dad, cousins - big and little, aunts, uncles, grandparents, the Davies. And we all adore you in return. You are not shy, though you can be a little coy when it suits you. You know you have us all wrapped around your finger, and you love it. If someone won't pay you the attention you want, you're on to the next.

One of the cute things you do right now happens in the evenings. You stand on on the hearth of the fireplace and say "Ready mommy?" I say "Ready, set, go!" and you run to the front door. Back and forth, repeating the same words, usually until I say enough. You giggle and smile the entire time, and sometimes Nathan joins in. I love it because it reminds me how Carden and Emma would run circles in the living room at the same time in the evening. It's these little things that I want to remember.

Know, little girl, that I will always love you!

Love,
Mom

Other exciting news for the last two weeks? Emma and the rest of the third grade participated in a swim program at the YMCA ... a three-day field trip. She was excited to see our bishop and our home teacher at the pool one of those days. Carden got her recorder, and is now learning some songs to perform at a PTA meeting. Both girls made great grades on their report cards. Nathan is working on sneaky-e's and two-vowels-go-walking. We are in Helaman now in our family scripture study - exciting! We've enjoyed listening to the Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites series as we've been reading. We are so glad to have our Daddy back after a trip to Arizona and a scout campout. I watched, at night while Nate was gone (I have a hard time sleeping when he's not here) and after I did all the studying I could possibly do, BBC's 2009 version of Emma. I must say I enjoyed it. I love the 1997 A&E version, and wasn't expecting to find this one as enjoyable, but I honestly can't say which I like better. Wednesday morning it was snowing, yesterday after trying to get Kenadie to nap, I came out to find Carden and friends in bathing suits playing on the slip-n-slide. We are still enjoying 65+ degree weather today.

So, in closing, three words to sum of these two weeks: Life is good.

A Different Kind of Week :: Jan. 10 - Jan. 17

2011-01-17T09:41:00.010-06:00

When I started school, my blogging dropped dramatically. This always bothered me, but I never was able to fit it in. Over Christmas break, my kids pulled out our 2008 blog book, and that was enough to re-commit myself to this phenomenon called blogging. For our family living so far away, and for my kids and our memories. My plan is to take pictures throughout the week (hopefully to get me picking up the camera a little more, too) and sit down and blog on Fridays about the past week. I'm off to a bad start, already three days late, but at least I am posting!

This has been a most unusual week, one full of exciting, new, some unexpected, events!

The highlight of the week definitely had to be the BCS Championship game. I grew up a BYU fan. I am still a BYU fan. Nothing will change that. But, my best friend from high school went to Auburn, and I began then to prefer Auburn over Alabama if asked. Then I married Nate, and there was no turning back. Year after year I became a little more interested. Then, as my sister-in-law put it, one game you're sitting there watching and realize you are a little bit nervous, and then an even bigger realization hits... I AM an Auburn fan. (I think this hit me in 2004.)

We watched the game at our friends', the P's, home. James, Dave and Jess were there. I was nervously optimistic the entire game, but come the last few minutes, I couldn't sit, I was too anxious. Carden watched the whole game, and cheered and clapped and wrung her hands with the rest of us. After it was all done and the guys basked in the glory for awhile, we packed up and, yes, after midnight, headed to Dick's Sporting Goods to buy Championship T-Shirts. Due to the weather, they were closed. (Have no fear, we did head out Tuesday morning to properly clad the family in navy and orange championship attire.) Upon returning home, we found our birch tree rolled in celebration (it is tradition in Auburn to roll "Toomer's Corner" after a win). I woke up early to take pictures Tuesday morning, but the moisture in the air pulled the TP off the trees. In honor, though, I have a few pictures I took when we went down to a game earlier this year.

As I mentioned in my previous post, we had a forecast of snow hitting Sunday night. They were speculating 4 to 8 inches, but I didn't hold my breath, especially since we had such a beautiful - and big (for here)- snow just a few weeks ago at Christmas. Hit it did, though, starting late Sunday night. At one point, right before I fell asleep, it lightning-and-thundered... a phenomenon I'd never experienced (thundersnow). I couldn't believe my eyes Monday morning to see nearly 10 inches! It was beautiful!

The kids wasted no time getting into it, and Nathan and Emma were having fun rolling snowballs down the slide and watching them grow. The kids enjoyed a big snowball fight, tried to build a snowman, and we enjoyed having Nate home on Monday and Tuesday (even more so because he was supposed to leave town early Tuesday morning). I had to coach Emma on how to warm up after being out in th snow... she wanted a HOT bath, but I convinced her to take it slow and warm her body up gradually. Poor thing, her booty and tummy were as red as her nose and cheeks!

The kids were out of school all week because the temps stayed below freezing and the neighborhood roads were really icy. We spent the time sledding on Wednesday (a throw-back to Covered Bridge Canyon days and Grandma's cookie sheets), at Chuck E. Cheese's on Thursday, and with friends on Friday. The snow and ice are almost all melted now, just shady areas hanging on to a few inches.

My friend told me to layer mittens with latex gloves in between and to wrap saran wrap inbetween layers of socks to keep hands and feet drier, and therefore warmer, longer. Yes, we live in the south. Yes, I know that is a little redneck, but it worked. At least we weren't out riding our lawnmower in the snow. Or pulling a boat loaded with kids behind the truck. Really, that is just something I love about the south ... use what ya got to have the most fun you can!

Despite the upheaval of our normal schedule, I began coursework in a new semester of school. My classes are Chemistry, Psychology and American Literature. I am already enjoying much of it, though I think this semester is going to be more demanding than last. At least (at first) though, it will be dusting off the old brain and memories as I remember how to do Chemistry and read some old classics that I've once read before. Although I'm sure in my prior life as a student, I didn't have such beautiful artwork accompanying my notes.

Nate and I are also working on finishing up a little house project. Actually, we are working on getting to a holding-pattern until the semester ends and I can add some softness. For now, here are some teaser pictures, hopefully next week it will be done!
I had to include these cute pictures of my babies waking up - not so happily - from naptime. We are ready, I think, to get back into a schedule. This week has been nice without all the rigid time-structure of our commitments to school, preschool, etc., but as in all things, it's almost getting to be too much of a good thing. I'm looking forward to getting back into the rhythm of reading to the little ones before naptime, not looking at the clock and realizing it is 2 pm and the little ones are still running and playing. I think Kenadie is ready for that, too, as she is constantly asking to be read to.

Our little neighbor friend asked me the other day if I knew Kenadie had little dots on her face. I quickly told her I knew about them from the time they put her on my tummy right after she was born. Those little dots melt my heart.
And to end with, a passage from a book I've been reading, "Earth in the Beginning" by Eric N. Skousen, Ph.D.:

"The Lord said that Eve's 'sorrow' and 'conception' were to be multiplied - 'in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children' (Moses 4:22). That is, the child-bearing process in mortality was to be an unpleasant and painful experience.
"However, as Eve was eventually to learn, from a few hours of travail would come the deepest joy to her soul - a joy that could never be experienced by Adam or any other man. She was to be a mother in mortality, maternally bonded to her offspring by the physical and emotional sacrifice, this gift of motherhood would become sacred and hallowed to her. (The word 'sacrifice' is derived from the Latin sacer = 'sacred' and facere = 'to make'; in other words, sacrifice means 'to make sacred.')"

Old Man Winter

2011-01-08T16:29:00.003-06:00

He's made himself comfortable here in Alabama. We had a White Christmas. I don't remember that much snow in Mad-town since I was about 12. We are told it's going to snow again tomorrow night, possibly seven inches. I'm still holding on to a bit of skeptisism, but then I didn't believe it was going to snow on Christmas, either.

Honestly, I am hoping for enough snow to close things down Monday evening. I begin classes Monday, and while I am taking online courses, one of them is Inorganic Chemistry with labs Monday evenings. This Monday is orientation, and it is overlapping the beginning of the Auburn-Oregon championship game. Huge BUMMER. I've been praying that my professor is an Auburn fan and that we'd get out in enough time for me to get home in time for kick-off... maybe my prayer is being heard and answered in a different way? Haha.

Camping

2011-01-05T13:57:00.003-06:00

Nate went in with his brother and a friend and bought a pop-up camper from another friend's buddy. As soon as he brought it home, the kids have been dying to take it for a spin. The first available day was Thursday, the day before New Year's Eve... Joe Wheeler, here we came! We found a nice RV spot next to the bathrooms (paramount when you have a newly-potty-trained 2 y.o. with the bladder the size of a sacrament cup) and had a good evening. We brought the kids' bikes since they weren't able to ride them on Christmas Day due to the snow, and Carden made some progress learning how to ride thanks to Allen. We just brought Nathan's scooter because he doesn't have training wheels on his bike, but he was in heaven none-the-less. He went down the hill in the pictures, he was so brave. Second time around, he crashed and burned, but Nate talked him into "not letting the hill beat him," and Nathan went again... not once, but about twenty more times!

It was absolutely beautiful. The trees were majestic, the weather perfect (60+, can't believe we had snow just days earlier), and the company great. We are already planning another trip.

Christmas Card

2011-01-05T11:01:00.005-06:00

Mayfield Family 2010

Nate
Likes: the Kids, the Wife, the new camper, catching up with old friends, MMA, my iPad, grilling, the beach
Dislikes: Drama, especially little pre-teen daughter drama!
The Thing That Made Me Happiest this Year: trailing Alabama 24-0 and then ripping their hearts out........I know.........but its true........sooooo happy.

Alisha
Likes: Learning, church, working with children, reading, taking pictures, Sisters Inc., dates with Nate, kisses and hugs, love notes from my kids, family and friends, creating, Destin, phone calls/texts/chatting with family far away, watching football and soccer
Dislikes: crying kids, putting kids down for naps, laundry
The Thing That Made Me Happiest this Year: Emma going from at-risk reader last year to reading two grade levels ahead this year! Yay!

Carden

Likes: Harry Potter, Winnie, Warriors, family, Auburn football, soccer, four square, playing with friends, Activity Days, church, my own room, snow, our climbing tree, our trampoline
Dislikes: school, homework, work, boring stuff, people crying
What I Want to Be When I Grow Up: A vet because I love animals.
The Thing That Made Me Happiest this Year: Going to Oklahoma and the beach with the Davies and Smiths.

Emerson
Likes: Harry Potter, playing with Winnie, Geronimo Stilton, drawing, doing crafts, designing clothes, Auburn, my cousins and friends, family, Ramen, onion rings, cheesesticks, Monopoly, Creationary, legos, Christmas, Halloween, tackling, black skinny jeans
Dislikes: going to school, doing chores, listening to babies cry, waking up
What I Want to Be When I Grow Up: Clothes designer because I am good at sketching out stuff and I have good ideas.
The Thing That Made Me Happiest this Year: My birthday and Gigi's Cupcakes coming to Madison

Nathan

Likes: Four-wheeler, hot dogs, Mommy, Daddy, superheros, tools, Daddy working in the garage, preschool, reading, friends, sisters, Angry Birds, playing on computer
Dislikes: Bananas, chores, naps
What I Want to Be When I Grow Up: Daddy and missionary
The Thing That Made Me Happiest this Year: Mommy playing Angry Birds

Kenadie

Likes: babies, Annie (my baby doll), cereal, dressing myself, books, cousins, pretending Nathan is my "baby buh-duh" (brother), dinosaurs, baby dolls, my pink baby potty, big potties
Dislikes: naps, time-out, shoes
What I Want to Be When I Grow Up: Mommy
The Thing That Made Me Happiest this Year: Hayley (our neighbor) coming home from college for Christmas

Christmas 2010

2011-01-04T14:46:00.009-06:00

Years ago, my family and I went to Utah for my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary and Christmas. We all, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, gathered Christmas Eve for dinner and our family nativity. It was wonderful. Carden was Mary and my cousin, Miles, was Joseph. I remember Grandma shepherding the actors where they needed to be and Uncle Greg reading from the scriptures. After all was said and done, Nate commented to the family that through the night, his eyes were a little more opened to the heritage I have received, and he knew why some things, particularly this Christmas Eve tradition, were so important to me. It was a beautiful night.

This Christmas Eve, we invited the missionaries for dinner. I wanted to prepare their traditional family Christmas Eve dinners, so we had waffles, ham, fruit and hot chocolate. The Davies, Buchanans and Bollers also came, and they brought hashbrown casserole, meatballs and bread. After eating, the kids dressed up and acted the parts of Mary and Joseph, Shepherds, Angels, and Wise Men. The kids opened their Christmas PJs, and another wonderful Christmas Eve was in the books.

Emma, at 1 in the morning, decided she was ready to start her Christmas day. Nathan woke up with her, as did Dad. The kids were disappointed when Nate sent them back to bed. I bet that little sneak peek made sleeping all the harder! They finally got up around 6:15, but the stockings kept them busy until Nate and I rolled out of bed at 8:00.

Christmas presents were a hit! I think everyone enjoyed everything they received. Kenadie got some baby accessories (among which was a baby potty, perfect for teaching her babies her own newly-acquired skill), play food and apron/hat, and a bike. Nathan got a SuperHero Squad Headquarters, SHS cars and characters, and a bike (with a Batman helmet). Emma got a small jewelry box with a gift certificate to get her ears pierced and two pairs of earrings, a fashion design kit (came with fabric, embelishments, instruction book, needle, thread, etc., and a small manequin), and a bike. Carden got a Harry Potter Legos Wii game, a new comforter set and art display thingy (for her new room), and a bike. We exchanged family gifts: Nate gave me his old iTouch, I gave Nathan some play tools (which he was so excited about... he packed them all in his toolbox - an old tackle box of Nate's - and asked Nate, "Should I put them in the garage?"), Carden gave Emma some Squinkies and a Taylor Swift CD, Emma gave Kenadie a new baby doll (Emily is her name), Nathan gave Carden some Squinkies and Connect 4, and Kenadie gave her Daddy a magazine subscription. Lacey and boys, along with Nuna, gave us a family membership to EarlyWorks and a Wii game and Toy Story 3.

We then visited with the Davies and Buchanans, another of our favorite Christmas traditions, but the bulk of the day was spent playing in the SNOW. Yes, you hear right, we had snow on Christmas! I went to bed Christmas Eve completely thinking we'd wake up to a few flurries if we were lucky, but we woke up to a good four inches, and snow still falling. By the time it was done, there was at least 5-6 inches. The kids (and dads, but they count as kids, too, right?) played and played hard. Snowmen, igloos, snowball fights, sledding... all was fair game!

Come late afternoon, I had to be the heavy and bring everyone it to shower and get ready for some more fun... Christmas dinner at the farm (once they knew what we were getting ready for, it wasn't so bad). Dawn, again, had a beautiful, yummy dinner for the whole Mayfield Clan to enjoy. We also began a new tradition at Kim's suggestion... a cousins' homemade gift exchange. I must admit, I was a little reluctant when the idea was suggested, because I just couldn't imagine adding another thing to my already-overflowing December plate, but it was really a wonderful thing. My kids earned all their money and Carden completely handled her gift for Megan... I literally did nothing besides find out what Meg's favorite color was. Carden made Meg some flower pens, and she did a really good job. Emma had Taylor and wanted to make her a doll. As we researched, the idea became a mermaid doll because Taylor loves mermaids. We mimicked a pattern found on Etsy; Emma wanted her to have a side ponytail (such an Emma thing), she did most of the sewing and stitching, stuffing and cutting. I was proud of her. Nathan had Savannah, and we made her some rolled-fabric flower earrings. Again, he earned the money, picked the fabric, cut the fabric, but left the glue gun to me. Kena had Josh, and she made him a "Josh and Kena" book. I had her fill in the blank (Josh likes to eat bread. Kenadie likes to eat brownies. Josh wants little presents for Christmas, Kenadie wants hearts in her presents. Josh is 4 years old, Kenadie is 2 years old, etc.) and then color the pages. The hit of the night for us was Nathan's gift: Angry Birds characters from Savannah. I wish I had a video of him opening the gift, it was priceless. What a great tradition to start!

We made it home from the farm, though the trip that usually takes 45 minutes took twice as long, and I was a nervous wreck the entire way. Church was cancelled the next morning due to ice on the roads, and to our astonishment, we woke up Sunday morning to more snow. My grandma sent pictures of snow they received in Utah earlier in December, and I told her how fun it would be for a few days of playing, and then have it melt and be gone. How funny that that's exactly what we got here for Christmas! It was truly fun. (Sidenote: it's been 60 years since North Alabama has had a truly White Christmas like this one! And about 18 years since we've had this much accumulate snow.) I enjoyed driving down the road and seeing a snowman in every front yard, all different, but all the same in the excitement, love and family time that created them.

2011-01-04T14:45:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving

2010-12-31T16:26:00.003-06:00

Every year I promise myself that I am going to take pictures at Thanksgiving, and then I never do. I was determined this year would be different, so I strategically planned my day and time to pull out the camera. I was so proud of myself. Before I could get to the pictures, though, my computer crashed. So sad. As I was downloading some other pics, this one was still on my memory card, and it is my favorite pic from the day (look at NateDogg and his Papa, melts my heart):

Thank heavens for little miracles.

For a few more pics, go to my sil's blog here.

Look who went to bed with a marker...

2010-12-30T14:06:00.003-06:00

Sisters Inc.: Christmas Festival

2010-12-29T20:29:00.002-06:00

A couple months ago, I received a phone call from my friend asking if the Mayfield Gals would be willing to recreate our nature tree from last year with a little more emphasis on birds. Sure! She also asked us to do another tree, and I half-jokingly said, if there was a mantel to decorate, we would love to do that instead. Lucky for us, there was actually the entry foyer - tree and mantel - that needed to be done, so we accepted the assignment.

Along with birds, we added some red berries since we had to shift some ornaments to the foyer. Here's the nature tree:

Dawn and I exchanged ideas for the foyer. We thought since it was the entry, it needed to set the tone for the event, specifically that we needed to portray Christ.

Inspiration came from the silhouette Dawn painted last year and these pictures we stumbled across on the web. Stacked logs in the fireplace, casual pine garland, stars...

The mantle is massive: seven feet wide, six feet tall, and a foot deep. We knew we had to go big to fill up the space and make the statement we envisioned.

Here's the sketch. We just hoped that it would turn out as well as the sketch...

And, we think it did!!! Maybe even better!
Dawn painted the silhouettes (canvas and tags), Cari had this beautiful antique frame. We had vinyl cut for the scripture that tied it all together. Dawn and I trimmed our pine trees for the garland.

The tree was adorned with mercury glass, green (some mercury glass beaded) and brown ornaments, stars, shell button garland, quartz crystals, twine-wrapped ornaments, Victorian tinsel. Topping the tree was a German Glitter Noel.

Presents, tagged with animal silhouettes surrounded Baby Jesus. The tree skirt was made from an antique matlasse coverlet trimmed in a cotton cream fringe. Bowls, pinecones, pine boughs and mercury glass rounded out the base of the tree.

We strategically placed a shutter covering a classroom door, and sycamore logs and a tin star finished the fireplace.

We were thrilled with the outcome of the foyer... dressy meets rustic, but even more so of the tribute it was to our Savior and this joyous season.

Two Christmas Stories

2010-12-24T10:05:00.002-06:00

This morning, Nathan and I were cuddling. I was curious what he knew about Santa Claus, so I asked. He told me Santa gets his reindeer, who fly, to pull his sled. Then he goes down the chimney and drops off Christmas presents. I asked him, "Aren't you glad we have a chimney?" Really, we don't, we have a gas log fireplace, but I figured he would think the chimney and fireplace were one in the same. He looked at me as if I were dumb and says, "Mom, we don't have a chimney. We have a fireplace, but no chimney." It's always good to be put in place by a four-year-old.

Also this morning, I found Kenadie singing "Happy Birthday" to her baby doll, Annie. Annie is going to star tonight as Baby Jesus in our family nativity. (This month, I've talked with her over and over again about Christmas being Jesus' birthday.)

Christmas Music

2010-12-22T08:21:00.004-06:00

This Christmas season, I have found myself with a lot of demands on my time. Between school, church callings and assignments, family and home responsibilities and preschool responsibilities, I have not had a second to breathe. I am ever-grateful for our prophet and his counselors that shared beautiful Christmas messages during the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. I came away from that with a determination to keep the true meaning of Christmas - our Savior - in mind, not to get overwhelmed and grumpy with my huge to-do list. There are times that I failed, but more often than not, if I've felt these emotions coming on, I've grabbed my iPod and let the music work the magic ... and magic it is.

Here's my playlist of Christmas Music:

O Holy Night by Tracy Chapman
Do You Hear What I Hear by Martina McBride
Hark! the Herald Angels Sing by Carrie Underwood
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Colbie Caillat
What Child is This? by Faith Hill
Away in a Manger by Faith Hill
O Come All Ye Faithful by Katherine McPhee

(I had more songs, David Archuletta, Josh Groban, and a few more, but for whatever reason, they did not sync onto my iPod. My computer crashed, so I guess they are gone.)

What Christmas music do you love? I'm always looking for great versions of great music.

The Hess Family

2010-12-04T13:29:00.007-06:00

I know I haven't finished my thankfuls, or done a Thanksgiving post, but I just had to post pictures of my sister-in-law's family that I took last week. Gorgeous family, fun personalities, and people I love.

Thankfuls:: Day 19

2010-11-19T09:41:00.008-06:00

Our Children and Their Personalities:: Let me preface this by saying yesterday was a long day, and the beauty of being grateful is that you can turn frustrations into blessings just by being grateful, so that is the point of today's post. I love my children. I think they are some of the most beautiful creatures to walk the face of this earth. They are good people, and they make my world go round.

Carden is beautiful inside and out. She is kind and tender-hearted. She embodies so much of Nate and I: she is the mother hen, and has the 'oldest girl syndrome,' just as I had (ok, have). She wants to please. She is funny and pessimistic like her dad, and really enjoys picking on Emma. She loves to read, she's smart and fun and all things good. We can clash because she is so like me and also so like her dad, it doesn't always make for the best mix. But these things that drive me the most crazy are the things I love the most, too. Carden is truly my right-hand-man. I couldn't do half what I do without this girl. Wouldn't trade her for anything.

Emerson, where do I begin with this girl. She owns her world, is stubborn and opinionated and doesn't mind letting her mind be known. She, too, is funny, loves to build and create (and destroy the tools used) and it very creative. She thinks outside the box in every step she takes. Emma is very loving and loves opposites (loves bling but hates girls colors, etc.). She is, day-to-day, the child that requires the most from me, but with that comes an amazing bond. She can fly off the handle, but then turn right around and sincerely apologize. Case in point, yesterday, when she was grounded to her room for the REST OF THE DAY, a little while later, Carden comes to me with a note from Emma:

"Mom I am sorry

that I was

yelling at you and

I am sorry that I

coled you big and mean

and I love you a lot.

Please forgive me. :(

Love,

Emma"

And then inside a heart drawn at the bottom of the page:

"Please please forgive me."

No asking to get out of her punishment, just asking for forgiveness.

Nathan, my little man. He's the comedian, the class clown, but very shy at the same time. He's very dramatic when you ask him to do something he doesn't want to do. He's full of energy, sound effects, and anything boy. So happy all the time, loves cars and trains, planes and balls. Rides the scooters and jumps on the trampoline daily. Works hard to read so he can do the thing he loves almost as much as his mommy - play on the computer. Loves working with Daddy and going to church and the store with him. I love walking down the hallway at church as all the young men give him hi-fives and yell his name, rub his head. Natedogg just beams.

And Kenadie, our baby. And, boy, does she know she's the baby. She's really turned into a spitfire. She always has messy hair, no matter what I do, but has the most amazing dimples that just melt everything else away. She loves to be held, read to, snuggled. She's not a huge eater, but will try most anything. I love to watch her walk, she always walks with such purpose. She loves all things baby, unlike her older sisters. Every day, she runs back and forth the length of the living room, giggling as she goes. When we are at the store, she continually thanks me that when things are her size, even if I don't touch them or put them in the cart, and she thanks me for all the baby stuff at the store. Kenie LOVES her daddy and calls him daily. She is the one, when in trouble, that cries for Daddy. She reminds me more and more of her older sister, Emma, each and every day. That thought stresses me out. I question whether I have enough emotional energy to mother two "Emmas." I pray I do. I told Nate we got two of these personalities because he demanded so much from his parents growing up, but I didn't think it was 'fair' for me to have to pay for it. He says it's because Heavenly Father trusts me. I'm thinking it's maybe that I didn't learn everything I should have the first time around. You'd think I'd have answers and knew what worked with Emma, but I really look at Kena at a complete loss. When I'm trying to hold her on the potty as she screams and kicks and arches her back, I flashback to seven years ago, but no answers come. It makes me tired. But, I know it will all be worth it. And Heavenly Father will help me. I just have to remember to be thankful for all the little wonderful parts of Kenadie's personality. And she has lots of those.

And, when I get frustrated, stressed, overwhelmed, I will remember to be grateful for these little people he sent to us, and all the smiles that come because of them. After all:

Thankfuks:: Day 18

2010-11-18T15:59:00.003-06:00

My husband:: whose proclaimed goal in life is to make me laugh every day. You know, even when we're fighting, he tries to make me laugh. Drives me crazy, but it's sure to lighten the mood and get us back on track. I think that is why I love this picture so much. Thank you for making my life a happy one, Nate.

Thankfuls:: Day 17

2010-11-17T22:19:00.006-06:00

An Excuse to Slow Down:: Our babies have been sick this week. Nathan is still sick, and I think Kenadie may now be battling a sinus/ear infection. Most days and weeks, I'd be frustrated. This week, I am enjoying the excuse to be home with no other obligations than loving my children and cleaning my house. There were times in my life, and even now if it stretched on for awhile, that this would drive me mad, but for today, it is just what I need... sickies and all. And, I just read this beautiful quote on my friend's blog that sums it all up perfectly:

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return."

-Mary Jean Iron

Thankfuls:: Day 16

2010-11-17T07:39:00.003-06:00

Packages and Fish:: Last night, we had a package arrive from Nuna and family for the kids. We could hardly sit we were so excited! Carden and Emma got some cute new shirts (sported today) and some money, and Nathan got some shoes and a set of Sunday clothes from Chase. The money came right in time because after dinner, Nate took the kids to go buy stuff for their fish tank while I went to the library to work on a paper. I came home to see our four new fish, and I could immediately tell which fish was each child's. Carden chose a black pot-bellied guppy (not sure what the real name is) and named it Bubbles. Emma's was a silvery see-through catfish named {insert name here when Em gets home from school, I forgot}, Nathan chose a redish-orange guppy with black fins and tail and named it Lightning McQueen, and Kenadie chose a tiny little orange guppy - that flits all over the tank - and named it Baby Fishie. So THEM, it puts a smile on my face.

Thankfuls:: Days 10-15

2010-11-15T20:29:00.002-06:00

Preschool:: Fun moms, fun kids, smiles and laughing and visiting, and a little learning, too. What's not to be thankful for?

Veterans:: Having my husband here by me, and safe, is something I take for granted, how grateful I am to all the veterans and their families for the sacrifice they make for me. How selfless, how under-apprectiated. Thank you.

Washing Machine:: Kenie was sick Friday night, and I am sure grateful to have a washing machine to throw all the soiled laundry in - however much I hate laundry, I can't imagine having to do it without the conveniences I have. I am grateful for how good I have it.

New Friends and Old Friends, too:: Natalie's younger sister moved in with the Davies for a few months. We've really enjoyed getting to know them, and the kids love having friends next door. It has been a happy few weeks.

President Monson, our living prophet:: Nate is over Sunday School, so he is always in a different class each Sunday. Now that I am not teaching Primary anymore, I attend whatever class he is attending that day (I love to sit by him). This Sunday, we went to Gospel Principles, and the lesson was on prophets. I know President Monson to be the Lord's prophet on earth today. What a blessing to live at a time when we have a prophet, and the gospel.

Friends:: Nate and I went out with a newly married couple tonight and enjoyed talking and reminiscing our early marriage. Made me grateful for the handful of friends (and family - the best kind of friends) that have helped and guided Nate and I and gave us the ideas and inspiration, the support and love we needed to make our marriage work. I will always treasure these friends, and always be indebted to them.

Thankfuls:: Days 8-9

2010-11-09T15:25:00.004-06:00

A Fun New Website:: full of great meal ideas. I tried the Zucchini Sticks for snack, yum (and only two of our kids thought I was trying to kill them)! Also, the pumpkin butter and pumpkin pancakes, crepes, blueberry compote, broccoli and cheese omelet, broccoli and cheese mini egg omelets... I enjoyed all of them, and most of our kids did, too! (Can't wait to try the sweet potato fries... mmmm!)

Return of Fall Weather:: High 60s, low 70s, enough said.

Thankfuls:: Days 5-7

2010-11-08T13:48:00.004-06:00

Good Friends:: I made turkey stew for the guys at Nate's office, and the little kids and I went and ate with them. One guy Nate works with has been a friend to us since before we were married. So nice to have good, genuine friends.

Sisters-In-Law:: Nate and I and some family took a trip down to Auburn Saturday for the homecoming game. I was lucky enough to visit with one sister-in-law on the way down and another on the way up. I came away feeling very loved and very blessed to know these choice women. And to see the love they have for their husbands. Makes the world right.

Priesthood:: My brother blessed his baby girl today, what a beautiful moment in time. We are so blessed.

Thankfuls:: Day 4

2010-11-04T19:22:00.003-05:00

Photoshop:: Not only is it part of a favorite hobby of mine, it sure makes putting together a school project easy(ier)! In Environmental Science, we were divided into groups and had to come up with a plan for use of a parcel of land that is up for sale in this make-believe city. There is a business/industry group, a recreation/entertainment group, a public service group, and then my group - special intrest. We decided on a Botanical Garden, and my part was to research various botanical gardens and come up with a layout of our garden.

Thankfuls:: Days 1-3

2010-11-04T06:35:00.006-05:00

I am joining the band wagon a few days late, but I thought I should join none-the-less. Since Sunday, I have had Count Your Many Blessings stuck in my head, and after my meltdown Sunday (see below), the thought crossed my mind more than once that I needed to start thinking about things I was grateful for to achieve some balance. So, here goes...

My husband:: for picking me up and helping me move on when I wanted to quit, Quit, QUIT! I was tired of trying to make everyone happy and getting grief in return, so I decided this week I was going to only worry about myself - what I wanted, my homework, etc. Thankfully Nate made it all better before it got too out-of-hand!

Pumpkin and a good end to the Soccer Season:: pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin butter on my bagel and in my hot chocolate... yum! And, two fun soccer parties... our kids definitely were not team stars, but they were a part of the team. Way to go!

Weight Watcher's Weekly Allowance:: and Chef George for making an amazing butternut squash dish for AllSouth's Builder's Thanksgiving lunch. The guys cooked turkey and ham, and Chef George from Subzero/Wolf made all the sides. They were amazing, but I had more than my fair share of butternut squash, and I'm begging Nate to get the recipe. OK, so maybe the half-slice of pecan pie didn't help too much in the points count, either.

Destin: The First Half

2010-11-02T15:46:00.003-05:00

I know, it's been almost a month and I am just getting around to posting the first part of our trip to Destin... sad. :) But, it is fun looking back at the pictures and remembering the sound, the smell, the relaxation, the happiness. It was actually bad for me once we got home - I was in a total funk for the next week. I think part of it was that I came back, hitting the ground running, and Nate was off for two extra days and I couldn't spend any of it with him.

Things Carden wants to remember about the beach this year:

I caught a sand dollar.
I got a lot of shells (that Nathan dumped out).
I caught a humongous crab.
We found a dead crab.
We went very deep in the ocean. By ourselves (Carden and Emma).
The swimming pool felt like dad's ice water the very first day.
I got to drive my own go cart at The Track, and I beat Daddy.
We had fun with the Davies and the Smiths.
I caught a weird-looking crab that kinda looked like a shrimp.

Things Emma wants to remember about the beach this year:

Brother Davies made a cool sandcastle.
I got a shark-tooth necklace (and it wasn't a small shark-tooth, either).
At the store that I got my shark-tooth necklace, there were alligator heads and sand shark bodies. It was actually pretty nasty, the shark bodies.
I caught crabs.

Things I want to remember about the beach this year:

Kenadie constantly putting sand on my legs, and then pouring bucketfuls of water on me to wash the sand off.
Kenadie just taking off into the water, and how well she maintained her balance in the waves.
Kenadie's face the first time she tasted salt water this year.
The crab (Carden's big one) that escaped from the aquarium (temporary housing so she could show Daddy her catch).
Fisherman's Wharf, my favorite place to eat. And the seafood Cannelloni Nate got there. Yum.
The yummy Italian restaurant we ate at as a family. The kids got many compliments on their good behavior! Makes a mom happy.
Emma jumping in to save Nathan from the pool... he stepped backwards into the deep end.
Just a Dream by Nelly and Lose My Soul by tobyMac
Being in love with my husband. But that's nothing new, right?!!
Feeling right at home in Destin's Branch, and enjoying sitting next to Nate during sacrament meeting.
The yucky green algae in the water, definitly not as clear and pretty as usual, but it really wasn't a problem until the afternoon.
Nate finding a big ole hunk of that algae in his ear when we got home... ewww...

A Project

2010-10-25T15:10:00.004-05:00

Emma came home with an assignment to do a project on a Southeastern Native American Tribe. She could choose to do a poster or booklet on clothing, a model of a camp or home with a report, a poster or report on games, food or art, a report with illustrations of a famous Native American, a report and illustrations of masks and their uses, or a report explaining how the Native Americans used natural resources.

Emma chose to build a village. My first thought was of this picture of me and my dad:I was in sixth grade when this picture was taken, we had just moved to Alabama.

Nate offered to help, and he and Emma built the base (wood spray painted brown with a dusting of dirt glued on), the first house and a fire ring.

This is a Cherokee Indian summer house. Emma and I built another summer house and a winter house. Our supplies for the entire project came from outside (twigs and trimmings from the yard and garden, pebbles from the garden pea gravel), the garage (wood glue, spray paint, spray adhesive, wood base), the kitchen (salt dough), or the bathroom (hairspray, hairdryer). And, once again, Emma proved herself to be a very determined, clear-cut-idea-in-my-mind kinda gal. Gotta love it.

Thirty-One Years Young

2010-10-21T14:24:00.001-05:00

Carden Michelle

2010-10-20T16:54:00.006-05:00

I did name posts of all three of our other children (here, here and here), but have yet to do Carden's. Why, you may ask? Well, she is not the easiest person to take a picture of. She says pictures are evil (a little of her dad rubbing off?). So I haven't done it. But, Nate was able to snap a few pictures of our beautiful oldest daughter at an event she was super excited about (more on that further down).

Carden's middle name was picked for her before she was even thought about in a serious way. See, my mom, Michelle, is the oldest daughter in her family, I, Alisha Michelle, am the oldest daughter in my family, and so I knew the first girl I ever had was going to be ________ Michelle. No ifs, ands or buts about it. This was solidified when, at a Young Women activity, my mom gave me my blessing dress. This is one of my most prized posessions, and I didn't know it existed until that evening. See, it is the dress my mother was blessed in, too. It only fit that my first daugther would be blessed in this dress, given the name of her grandmother. I still get emotional thinking about it. The dress is getting fairly delicate, so it may not be able to be passed on to Carden for her daughter to be blessed in, but I do plan on framing it and giving it to Carden at a special time, maybe at a Young Women activity or something similar.

Carden possesses so many of the same qualities her grandmother has, ones that I dearly wanted to have passed down. My mother is that, a mother, in every beautiful sense of the word. She lives, breathes, and loves each of her eight children. Her days, morning until next morning (because there are many nights she didn't get much sleep, early on because of newborns, then because she worked night shifts at the hospital, and now because she lays in bed worrying about us) are filled with us. That's what I want to be, a mother. There was never anything I wanted more. And Carden has the same qualities. She is Mom #2 when it comes to her younger siblings, Kenadie perfers her over most everyone, especially when mom is not cutting it. She is trustworthy, is pretty good in the kitchen, and can do most any chore to perfection (when she wants to). I love this girl, and I love my mom. What a beautiful chain we make!

Now, onto the pictures. Carden drew a poster for our school's Fire Safety Week, and it won first place in fourth grade. The prize was that she got to ride on a fire truck (and a few Chik-Fil-A coupons). This was a big deal - for her, she was E-X-C-I-T-E-D, and for me, I had to get paperwork notarized for her to be able to do this. Nate went and took pictures because I was otherwise obligated at the time, so glad he captured this memory! I don't have a picture of the poster, hopefully that will be added when the poster comes home.

And, I found this and thought it was something worth putting in our 2010 blog book, so here it lands on the blog first:

A Letter to Myself

Dear Carden,

Today's date is October 3, 2010. I am 10 years old and I measure _____ tall.
I really like to tackle with my family! When I spend time with friends, we often play spy. Some of my firends are Heyden, Marissa and Regan.
Here are some of my favorites:
Song or Musician: Dinomite
Television show or movie: Harry Potter
Game: Scene It
Book: Harry Potter
Food: chicken
Primary activity: Articles of Faith activity
Place to visit: the beach and Oklahoma
Hobby: Soccer, draw
What I remember most about 2009 is playing soccer beacause it was fun.
I was pleased with myself when I started to draw because it was a challenge to accomplish it. One thing I hope to learn to do better in 2010 is play soccer better.
If I could make a wish for 2010, it would be to score. One goal I hope to acheive by the end of this year is score.
The Primary's Gospel Standards are important in my life. I plan to improve on the following standards this year: obey!
If I'm ever discouraged, the scriptures can help me feel the Spirit. My favorite scripture story is Samaritan.
I know that Heavenly Father answers prayers because I trust Him. I will try to remember to say my prayers every morning and night.
Well, see you next year!

Love, Carden

P.S. I forgot to say that I hope you do good at soccer and do good with Winnie.

My Grandpa

2010-10-19T15:49:00.006-05:00

I received an e-mail today from my sister. Her mother-in-law, serving a mission in Salt Lake City, saw a picture of my Grandpa on the front of the Deseret News, and promptly read the article and then sent a link to Carly who then forwarded it to the family. Go here to read the article on the orchestra he is a member of. My grandpa is the best example of a life-long learner that I know of, picking up languages and music after retiring, along with all his other studies. He says, "[It] helps to keep me awake and alive." I hope, at 85, to be as awake and alive as my Grandpa!

Driving to Destin

2010-10-15T19:39:00.004-05:00

We have a great little family tradition of spending fall break at the beach, Destin to be exact. We love this time of year because it is off-season, meaning lower prices, not as many people, and more mild weather. We pack up Wednesday after the girls get home from school and Nate gets off work and head to Montgomery where we get a cheap hotel (we've used the same hotel three years in a row, and it was a little too cheap this time, gonna be looking for someplace new), then wake up and drive the rest of the way the next morning. This gets us a little more beach time, we usually arrive no later than noon on Thursday.

This year was particularly fun because we stopped at a little park once inside Florida. I guess there used to be an Air Force base near, and we thought it would be fun for Nathan to see the plane. Turns out, the name of the park is Lake Jackson... Carden has been studying Andrew Jackson in Alabama History, so she was pretty excited! Things I want to remember about the drive to Destin:

Starting to listen to Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites and realizing that it is set at the same part of the Book of Mormon that we are reading as a family.
Kenadie watching The Little Mermaid for the first time (she picked out an Ariel toy at the beach store).
Stopping at Burger King to eat, go to the bathroom and stretch. The kids were excited to play at the playground and Nathan loved the wind-up dinosaur he got in his kids' meal. It drove us crazy the rest of the trip.
The kids jumping on the bed at the hotel.
Kenadie doing the airplane as she ran to the airplane.
Seeing a big bass at the pier.
Throwing rocks into the water.
Carden's excitement at reading the sign. She wanted a picture to take back to her class.
Fitting everything into four big rubbermaid totes.
Driving over the Mid-Bay Bridge (the most exhilirating part of the trip!).

We Love Peanut Butter in This House

2010-10-13T20:51:00.006-05:00

So I innocently turned my back for a few minutes to load the dishwasher, and this is what I got: Is there a little-girl-washer available for purchase? I think she may need it more than the dishes.

And this cute man, he doesn't like peanut butter, but will eat a peanut butter sandwich (devour, really) if it is made with strawberry freezer jam. Smart boy, that is a little piece of heaven, simple and pure!

So rare I catch him still enough, not acting goofy, with his eyes looking at the camera to actually get a good picture... case in point:

Little Livy

2010-10-12T09:59:00.006-05:00

This last picture reminds me of a newborn picture of her daddy!

Welcome, Little One

2010-10-06T07:27:00.002-05:00

My brother and his wife just recently welcomed a beautiful little girl into their family, and I am already smitten by this little one. She is so beautiful, and I just love her. More pictures to come of her...

Journaling: A Few of my Thoughts

2010-10-04T12:47:00.006-05:00

We just finished our last round of Mayfield Family Biggest Looser today, and I am happy to report that since March, I've lost just over 37 pounds! It has been a long time coming, and it is nice to finally start to feel like ME again. I still have a ways to go, anywhere from 10 to 20 more pounds, I'm just not sure where my body is going to be happy being a couple (six to be exact) years older and with the changes of life that six years bring. It is fun to pull out old clothes and put them back on, and it is fun to wear new things that I bought before and couldn't fit into.

Friday night, I had two very simple problems, nothing huge or important, that I said a quick prayer about and immediately had an answer. The things I needed were so insignificant in the great scheme of things, but provided one of those wonderful daily boosts to my testimony... one of those boosts that confirms that there is a Heavenly Father that loves me dearly, that listens and helps with every needful thing. It's a culmination of these little things that leaves no doubt in my mind that He is there.

I had a change in callings this week. I am no longer teaching primary, and I am so sad to be leaving my class. I love all seven of those kids with all my heart. And, I knew I was being blessed while serving, probably more than I blessed these children's lives. Now I am serving as the 8-9 y.o. Activity Days leader. Emma is in my group, along with older sisters of a handful of my primary class. I am really looking forward to this new challenge, and am praying for strength and guidance. I told Nate, even though it is just two times a month, it falls on Wednesdays, my busiest day of the week, so I am really praying for the strength to get it all done. I look forward to this added excuse to be involved with my girls and the goals they are working towards.

I've started preparing dinner in the mornings right after I get home from taking the girls to school. Last week was the first try, and I think it went well. Definitely made the evening flow a little smoother. Right now, I have French Dip Sandwiches brewing in the crock-pot, and last week, we had Hawaiian Haystacks (put gravy in the crockpot, then chopped and got everything ready to serve), roast, and beans and cornbread (the beans were frozen from a previous meal). It seems to be working well, it just means a little different thought process in how a meal goes together.

Journaling: The Kids

2010-09-18T15:55:00.002-05:00

Carden: Almost done with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, has a goal to finish book 7 by the time the movie comes out in November (hope it's PG so she can go see it). Met her AR goal set by her teacher in reading one book, Book 5. Makes brownies all by herself for our Sunday night dessert. The first few times, they turned out hard, this last week, they were perfect! Has formed a cute little group of friends that she plays with weekly - it is fun to see good friendships start, hopefully the kind that will last through the years. Adores her dog, enjoys soccer and is improving. She is friends with everyone on the team, and wanted to beat the team they played last week because, during a scrimmage, one of the other team's players said something mean to someone on our team. Carden stuck up for our player at the time, and I was proud of her strength. She doesn't get that from me.

Emerson: After the stress and struggle last year, I was pleased with Emma's STAR reading test results: reading level jumped to 4.8 (from at-risk last year). She most always has a book in her hand, and prefers some of the more comic-styled books. I bought her a Ramona book and told her if she read it, we could go see the movie. She started it, we'll see what happens. She's a spontaneous helper... one day a few weeks back, I was pushing a stroller filled with folding chairs, a cooler, my camera and Kenadie up a big hill, she turned and saw me working h-a-r-d and ran back down the hill to push with me. She does these kinds of see-someone-needing-help-I'm-gonna-help-them all the time. Makes a momma proud.

Nathan: Is reading, very basically. This week, we've worked on short a words... Mat, Mac, Sam, rag, cat, sat, sad, tan, fat, bag, etc (we're using the BOB books). Knows first couple sight words, a, the, on, and. Got out of bed earlier this week, still sleeping, and wandered into the girls' room and up to Emma's bed (at the head of the bed). Luckily, I walked into the hallway at that time and realized he was about to pee on Emma... I jolted him out of his sleep-walk, rushed him to the bathroom, and a late-night cleaning was averted. Participated in his first primary program this week. He's our shy guy, so we practiced and bribed him to say his part in front of the congregation. I think we over-coached - he was the kid that put his mouth right up to/on the microphone and SAID his part (if you know what I mean). From what I understand (I could not see him), he and his best friend kept everyone entertained the rest of the program. Class clown is cute and funny now, I'm afraid it won't be so cute and funny in a couple years. Still is very tender with me, puts his sweet little hand on my cheek and gazes into my eyes with a content, loving grin, at least once a day; his way of saying I love you without words. Does the same to Kenadie, but no one else.

Kenadie: Loves to play mommy. Nathan is her baby of choice... sometimes he cooperates, and sometimes it is a cause of contention all day long. Kenadie wakes up saying, Mornin' baby, will try to feed him lunch (she'll wrap her arm around the top of his head to hold him in place and then spoon-feed him), put him to bed, dress him, and just love on him. I can be a suitable baby if Nathan's not in the mood to play along. Likes to fold laundry, does a really good job with washclothes, her pants, and even gets the kids' shirts on hangers fairly decently. Is dressing herself, though usually inside-out or backwards, or both, shoes on the wrong feet. Says her own prayers, consisting of: Heh-eee Patah, ah day, Heh-eee Patah, ah day, Heh-ee Patah, ah day, Heh-ee Patah, ah day, Chris, Men. Sometimes a few more Heh-ee Patah, ah day's. We've been working on the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen part, next will be a little variation in what is said.

'Wasting' Some Time

2010-09-11T20:39:00.002-05:00

Taking pictures has seemed such a luxury to me these days... my days and minutes are eaten up by kids, soccer, home and school. Wednesday afternoon, though, I had a rare oppotunity between dropping the girls off at Activity Days and picking them up where I had nothing I needed to do, and it was inconvenient to go home. So, I brought my camera and let the kids play in a small creek for 40 minutes. Good for them, good for me. I sure love taking pictures. And, to top it off, I got a great portrait of Nathan - so rare he actually looks at the camera without making some kind of goofy face or move. So 'YAY' for wasting some time!