Happiness

It's Friday!

2012-01-27T14:47:00.003-05:00

It's Friday! What are you going to do this weekend? Tonight Josh are and I are going to a J. Reuben Clark Law Society Fireside at the Institute at ASU. He's going for some intellectual stimulation. I'm mostly going to get a break from the kids and be with him! Saturday I may sleep in a little until my hair looks like this! We're doing chores, the kids are going to Stake Softball and I'm going to our Stake Relief Society meeting and luncheon. Someone important is speaking-not sure who. We are also going to dinner at Josh's faculty director's home. They have 2 kids so it should be good!

We've been watching Season 2 of Downton Abbey and loving it. Will Mary marry Matthew? Will he get hurt in the war? I can't wait! I love the setting, the music-everything. Our tv only gets 7 channels and they are not pbs nor Fox for American Idol. And now that Josh is bringing home a pay check, we added a few more bills (repairs on the house in Md, etc) and suddenly we are as empty handed going in as we were coming out. Such is life. Happy Weekend everyone!

This is my blog. my name is Megan Abbott.

ps.I subbed all day in fifth grade yesterday and it went really well. Someone saw me and grabbed me for next Wednesday as well- I'm thrilled to be working a little!

Tuesdays

2012-01-25T07:00:00.003-05:00

image from parenting.com and smitten kitten- mashed banana, chocolate chips between tortillas, dusted with powdered suger- yum!!!

It's 10:41 am and I am sitting in a quiet house. The dryer is going, a load has already been folded, my favorite tv show watched, the dog is asleep by the sofa chair and I am on my own. It threatened to not be this way this morning.

At 6 am my alarm went off and at 6:02 am the Gilbert Public Schools called with a sub assignment. I picked up the phone and hung it up right away. I subbed half a day yesterday and while yesterday I thoroughly welcomed the change and reason to get out of the house, this morning I didn't even want to know!

I let the kids sleep in as much as they wanted since they have been being pills and I think it's lack of sleep that's causing it. Jonah and Elizabeth slept in until 7:11 am- which is 30 min late for them. I planned on being late to school but when the time came that we really would be late, I hurried them them into the car.

Why? I have no idea. Is it because I have to be on time? Am I a perfectionist? Who knows! The kids were already lined up when we got to school and I was stressed! No more sleeping in for the kids! I avoid stress like the plague!

Elizabeth stayed home with a hurt ankle and a Dr. appointment but seeing her jump on the mini trampoline earned her a ticket back to school. As she climbed into the car she said "Can we walk to school?" Uh???

So far this week I've learned that I hate it when everyone leaves on a Monday morning, off to their own appointments and duties and I am left at home with the gym and laundry and shopping calling. I love it when they leave on Tuesday.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

ps- I've ordered an new usb cord and it will be here tomorrow! And yes, my computer is so old it has no memory slots in it! We plan to get a new computer after we pay off all the things that need paying off of! :)

Lately

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it? I own 2 usb cords to my camera and cannot find either of them. Either they have fallen into the trash or a child has used them for their adventure! Luckily I have not taken a lot of pictures lately, but I have played around with my 50 mm lens- as inspired by Hilary- and I will share those one day- soon!

Happy Chinese New Year! (yesterday). Our neighbors are from Hong Kong and they put up lots of red and gold decorations outside their house- pic. on my camera.

Here's what's been going on lately:

- My sister Amy had a beautiful baby boy in Japan on Saturday- one week early. We are all thrilled. Still waiting on a name and pics!

-In December Josh and I went to an orientation meeting about the State's foster and adoption program. We had no job at the time, so we decided to wait. Friday we sent in a form that said we are interested in the program. The next step is taking 10 three-hour classes in addition to many other things. We haven't decided yet if this is something we actually want to do, so we're taking one step at a time, feeling it out as we go.

-The 3 boys have been keeping us on our toes and have been super hyper lately. Ethan and Jonah turn 8 in May and we're all really excited about that!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Another

2012-01-23T07:00:00.003-05:00

My Sister-in-law Hilary took this picture of Elizabeth- isn't it Gorgeous? The lighting is beautiful- as is Elizabeth!

There is another baby boom going on and this time I feel strangely at peace. Maybe it's because I had morning sickness for a month recently and I remember too vividly how it felt. Maybe it's because I don't really want to be pregnant in the heat of the summer and think later would be better.

But, most of all, I had a thought. A calming, quiet thought.

It wasn't the right time for our baby to come to our family.

It wasn't me. It wasn't something that I did or didn't do.

And it's okay that we've had to wait such a long time.

Because babies are worth waiting for.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

About Miscarriage

2012-01-20T07:00:00.001-05:00

I ordered 2 of these charms for my miscarriages to go on a chain.

I feel like writing a post on miscarriage. It seems like such a taboo topic, yet 1 in almost 4 pregnancies ends in miscarriage. Now that it's been 2 months since my last miscarriage (my 2nd one), I feel like I can write about it at a safe distance. I still feel upset that it happened, I still feel a little hurt, but I know that while the memory of it will always be there, the pain won't be as bad.

Maybe people have a hard time talking about it because it is such a disappointing thing. You become attached to that baby the moment you see those 2 little lines on the pregnancy test (or the word pregnant). There is someone growing inside of you and all you can think about is how to protect and nurture that little one. When you find out something has happened to him/her- something that you couldn't control and that baby is gone, you feel devastated. You realize that you really don't have control over everything in your life, and that there is a greater force in this world.

From the things I have read, and from my own personal experience, here are the things to not say when someone has experienced a miscarriage:

"It's okay- you have 4 beautiful children." That discredits the loss. They were loving the child they lost.

"Don't worry- the child is in a better place." This disqualifies the loss, like it doesn't matter.

"Good thing you were not that far along." It doesn't matter how far along they were- the loss is still there.

"Well, try again next time!" Again, disqualifying the loss.

Good things to say after someone has had a miscarriage:

"I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Can I watch your children for you while you rest?"

"When can I bring a hot meal over to you?" (both times someone brought us a meal and more than sustenance, it made us feel so loved!)

It is my hope and prayer that the world will be more sensitive to those who have lost their babies early on. We still hope to grow our family one day and when it happens, it will be even more sweet as I will know just how hard it is to lose a little one.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

MLK Jr. Day

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

that is the signature of my Great-Grandfather. How neat, huh?

Josh had MLK Jr. Day off so we headed to our local IKEA- 20 minutes away in Tempe. We had planned a hike but since it was drizzly it was canceled. I've been wanting to turn our guest room into a bedroom/craft room. There was a desk at IKEA which I love and I wanted to create a space where I can sew, blog, download pics, craft and do family history in semi-peace and quiet.

Those of you who know me, know I love shopping and I love IKEA. As we dropped the kids off at Smaland, except Elizabeth who wanted to come with us, I beamed with anticipation. Josh was not as thrilled. That's ok. We found the desk, and a lamp, and 2 Christmas stars on sale (for my July 4th themed room), ate lunch (which was free since we spent over a certain amount) and headed home. A successful trip! Josh worked on his Christmas puzzle when we got home and I did some family history and found the record above. I love it!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

ps. I have to say that I have always admired Martin Luther King. He was amazingly brave and kind, smart and wise.

Family History- a new hobby!

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

So, the other day I was looking at the sidebar of my blog that has my bucket list. On it is to find a new hobby. I set out to find one! On Saturday we went fishing with the kids. Could this be a new hobby for me? I wondered.

As minutes went by without catching a thing, I realized that I had no patience for it. I googled hobbies and found whittling pipes, quilting, gardening, etc. All things that take patience. Which I don't have a lot of. I put it to a matter of prayer and left it at that.

That evening, Josh and I went to the Temple and were sealed for Magdalena Cera and John Drewa- my last card that I had printed out to do Temple Work with (she is my great Aunt on my Grandpa's side) and I knew. Family History is to be my new hobby.

I had to search through 5 unopened boxes to find my family history binders, but find them I did!
(I also found our bathroom scale in one of them- who packed that box??) I am so excited! I was talking to my Mom last night and she mentioned learning how to read Polish lettering on familysearch.org. I thought that familysearch.org was a thing of the past and new.familysearch.org was the place to go.

I was so wrong! I went to familysearch.org, checked on learn and I learned that you can find new information about your ancestors in just 5 minutes on familysearch.org. Many census records are all recorded online now. Within 2 more minutes I had a census record for Patrick James Hulihan, my Great Grandfather and his family. It was amazing.

I am so excited to use some of the extra time that I have now that the kids are in school to do some family history. I am excited to go to the temple that is so close to us and to do the work for my ancestors. Let me know what you know or what you may need help with, and we'll work at getting it done!

Family History- I am doing it!!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Look to your ancestors and live!

Growing up Twins!

2012-01-17T08:56:00.000-05:00

Jonah and Ethan, 2004

Jonah, Ethan, Me and Elizabeth, 2005

Ethan and Jonah (and a crying Asher! and Elizabeth- had to throw this one in!) 2006

Jonah and Ethan, 2007

Ethan and Jonah (and Elizabeth), 2008

Jonah and Ethan, 2009

Ethan and Jonah, 2010

Ethan and Jonah, 2011

I was once a Mom surrounded by little, little kids. Now they are all so much bigger. How did this happen???

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Josh

2012-01-16T08:27:00.003-05:00

So, Josh has just been loving his new job this year! He said to me one morning-

"Megan, I'm having this weird feeling!"

"What?" I replied.

"I'm excited to go to work!"

Now, this was on his 2nd day of the job, but after 2 weeks I think he still feels the same way! They've kept him busy meeting everyone at the law school, including students, professors, directors of other centers, the dean who he reports to, etc. He is busy, busy, busy- but a good kind of busy.

He had to get some professional pictures done the other day. You know, for the school and online. He e-mailed them to me and when the first one popped up on my phone, right in the Target parking lot, my heart stopped beating for a second. He is so handsome! (and I can say that without him knowing since he hasn't been reading my blog lately! ;) ).

I am so excited for him and all the new opportunities that are in store this new year. How blessed we are!

This is my 1,100 blog post. My name is Megan Abbott.

p.s. I signed up for an Institute class at the Institute building across from the Law School and only made it to one class. Turns out the 30 minute commute there and back (or more if I get on the wrong freeway) is not worth the 45 min. class for me. We may have to live across the street from ASU if I am to take any classes! Online maybe?

p.p.s. My Sister Amy is due to have her baby boy (in Japan no less!) in less than 2 weeks. I am nervous and excited for her! My Sister in Law Ellen is due to have her baby boy in the first week of February and my other sister in law Hilary is due with her 6th child- a girl after 5 boys- in the end of February. Our family is growing and growing! It will be 17 grandkids for my Parents and 35 for Josh's, giving my kids 44 cousins! Wow!

Yum!

2012-01-13T14:52:00.005-05:00

So far this week, I've highlighted some sights that I like (Mr. Tom), tastes that I have enjoyed (the cake was awesome and still is awesome) and now here is a smell that I just fall head over heals for: Chocolate Fondue Lotion! I tried it the other day in the Teachers Lounge as I ducked in to use the restroom. Their restroom was amazing! If you can tell the quality of the education of your children by the teacher's restroom, than my kids are very well educated! There was furniture, there were pictures on the walls and there was a basket with several different lotions. I chose the chocolate one. And I chose correctly!

Too bad they don't sell this anymore. Divine!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

ps. I've noticed a trend in the west- dressy bathrooms. Ok. Maybe it's in Maryland as well- the styles are just completely different. One is understated and cool. The other is crafty and more stylized. Guess which one is which?

Meet Heaven

2012-01-12T16:13:00.002-05:00

This beautiful Chocolate Cake has been egging me on into making it ever since I saw it on Pinterest a while back but I had no reason to make it. When I was put in charge of the dessert and drinks for our January Book Group, I knew just what to make! I planned on splitting it into 2 days- 1 day making the cake, the next decorating it. It was so much fun that I did it all yesterday. Good thing too, since my hosting partner hurt her back so I am hosting now and I would not have had time to do it all.

Let me just say that this is the most delicious cake ( I trimmed off a little on the side) and the most delicious frosting I have ever tasted! Seriously! It was all I could do to stop trimming the cake. (I have pinned it on my yummy food boards if you are interested).

Nice to know Heaven comes is such a sweet form!

Look! This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Tom Cruise!

2012-01-11T10:47:00.003-05:00

I feel like doing a somewhat silly post today. As you may know, I turned 34 a couple of weeks ago and Tom Cruise was kind enough to open his latest- and I'm sure last- sequel of Mission Impossible the day after my birthday. Because of Christmas craziness, we weren't able to go see it until last weekend. So, for our Friday night date night, we left a kind and sweet 12 year old girl with our 4 rambunctious kids (and one funny dog) and went out for a little Panda Express and Tom Cruise. Swoon!

I have to say, I adored Tom Cruise when I was younger. I thought he was smokin' in Top Gun (didn't we all?), Days of Thunder, Rainman, Cocktail (I think I only watched half of that one), Far and Away (so awesome!), Interview with a Vampire (kinda creepy), not the Firm (but I wanted to watch it) and who can forget Jerry McGuire which came out the year I graduated High School ('96) and I saw the edited version of at the WILK at BYU! Swoon, again!

I have since fallen for a blonder, smarter man who will never be replaced, but as I sat in the huge theater, with the lights dim, holding my husband's hand, and the Mission Impossible music following a brightly lit fuse, I was transported back to 1996- when my whole future was open to my taking and Tom Cruise was the Star on the Screen.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

p.s. Katie Holmes, you can have him!
p.p.s If you were born quite a few years after me (since now all 20 yr olds were 4 when this movie first came out) go check these flicks on Netflix! You'll love them!
p.p.p.s Ethan's name may or may not have been influenced by the making of Mission Impossible. Just sayin'.

Gratitude Tuesday

2012-01-10T10:42:00.005-05:00

tilt much? I was going thru some boxes and found this easel I made over 10 yrs. ago at BYU in an El. Ed. class. I have never used it, but packed it up each time we moved. I used it yesterday. And it's tilted! And I think I got an A in that class! Oh, well! My poor cub scouts!

I feel like blogging. My hair is wet, the kids are at school, the dog is taking a nap outside my bedroom door. One of Josh's 2 rules is no-dogs-in-our-bedroom (the other is no babies in bed, although sometimes I stretch that rule at 6 am with a nursing little one). I don't have anything particular to say today. This morning I was feeling a bit down- as I am wont to do occasionally since I do have bipolar- and started writing a list of things I am grateful for.

I am grateful:

-that Josh doesn't have to leave until 7:20 am for work.
-that he comes home at least 30 min. earlier that before.
-that we found Sadie.
-that I have a daughter.
-that I have 3 sons.
-that I had 2 miscarriages (but no, I don't want anymore).
-that I still want to have more kids.
-that a Super Walmarts is so so close to me.
-that there are 3 Targets- one Super one- within 10 min. of my house.
-that I have lithium.
-that my immediate family is faithful in the Church- all of them.

Look! This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Look

2012-01-09T16:21:00.003-05:00

picture via online

"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not." D & C 6:36

I've tried to do a word of the year in the past. Usually I'm motivated for a few weeks and then I even forget what the word ever was. So, this year, I saw something on Mormon.org about choosing a scripture for the year. I read a few of the comments and came across this scripture. I really liked it! It was simple and to the point. Something I could memorize and repeat to myself throughout the day. I even have it written on my blank frame with a dry erase marker in our bathroom where I write pithy quotes. Or scriptures. Or Merry Christmases.

Today was the first day of having the whole house to myself- except Sadie- since Elizabeth came into our lives. When Asher started Kindergarten, Josh was home looking for a job. When Josh started his new job, the kids where home on Winter break and when they went back, Asher was home sick. Today they are all gone. I came home to an empty house, quickly left to walk Sadie and then quickly left to an Institute class and shopping. After I came home and unloaded everything, the silence shocked me. I was all over the map for a while there. I miss the kids, but I love the amount of work I can get done and the fact that I can eat whatever I want without having to share a few bites.

It is now 2:30 pm and the kids will get out of school in 15 minutes. The days go by way too quickly.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

ps. Look. I like it. Maybe I do go for words of the year.

It is Better to Look Up!

2012-01-08T18:48:00.005-05:00

Reading in the Conference Edition, I found a talk entitled "It is Better to Look Up" by Elder Carl B. Cook and it touched my heart. He spoke about how he had just spent his first week as a General Authority and was feeling overwhelmed and discouraged. As he came down in the elevator he was looking down at the floor when someone came in. It was President Monson and he encouraged him "It is better to look up!"

He goes on to say that the Prophets lead us to God and President Monson is a great example of this. He says "He exercises great faith and is filled with optimism, wisdom, and love for others. His attitude is one of 'can do' and 'will do'. He trusts the Lord and relies on Him for strength, and the Lord blesses him."

At this New Year, I really want to be more optimistic. Things will work out. We have a good job- A great job! We have an offer on our house in Maryland. We have a sweet dog. Our future is bright and we will be able to reach the rest of our goals as we put our trust in Him.

He goes on to say that if we "exercise our faith and look to God for help, we will not be overwhelmed with the burdens of life..We must have the faith to look up and the courage to follow His direction."

I want to tell you, at the beginning of this New Year, that even though the way may be dark and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel- there is always light: coming from up above.

He is there. He is yearning to help us, if we but look up and listen.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Year in Review- Sept.- Dec.

2012-01-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

In September, we got a snake,

we visited family for Labor Day,

and Elizabeth turned 9!

In October, we had Winter Break with our cousins,

went hiking in a desert park,

and went trick or treating!

In November, we celebrated Thanksgiving in Santa Barbara, CA

and loved every minute of it!

In December, we built Gingerbread Houses,

added Sadie. 4 yr old. Cocker Spaniel/Border Collie to our family to the joy of the children,

Megan turned 34 and we celebrated over dinner and cake with Uncle Jimmy and cousin Zack.

and we celebrated the Christmas Holiday in California!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Year in Review-

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

In May I ran my 2nd 5K and haven't run another one since- but hope to soon-

the boys went on a Fathers and Sons outing,

and Ethan and Jonah turned 7 years old.

In June, we ate Maryland fresh steamed crabs,

played in the water,

and celebrated the end of school!

In July, we walked in the 4th of July Parade with the Whetstone Whales Swim Team,

we went to see the New York Hill Cumorah Pagent,

and Asher turned 5!

In August we put our home on the market- two days after our 10th anniversary and

drove across the country,

moved into a new home in Gilbert, Arizona,

and went to the temple!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

2011 in Review, Jan- April

2012-01-05T07:00:00.005-05:00

In April, we celebrated Easter,

I got a new camera- a used canon rebel xti complete with 3 lens and love the quality of pics it takes!

Josh turned 32,

and got balloon hats at IKEA.

In March, we saw the Cherry Blossoms,

ate ice cream in our pajamas,

and made pink goo from borax and glue.

In February, we got a scare when Elizabeth passed out in the kitchen (she is fine),

I cut my hair short and loved it,

and celebrated the Chinese New Year.

In January, we sled down hills,

played with Mustaches,

and visited the Hershey factory in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

The Nativity- yes, that's a can of dog food as a present from the 3 Wise men!

Our doggie!

Meet our Christmas Turkey

My Dad, Amber, David and my Mom

Uncle David, Aunt Amber, cousins Shayla and Mitchell and our kids- in jammies! So fun! I still can't download half of my Christmas pictures! Oh, well!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

California and Christmas!

2012-01-03T10:57:00.012-05:00

Elephant seals near Hearst Beach.

Asher by a beached Elephant seal.

Peter, buried in the sand!

We just got back from a lovely after Christmas vacation in California. We spent a quiet, lovely Christmas at home and the day after left for California. We spent 3 lovely days with my sister Larissa, seeing also David and Amber and Doug and Sheelah and then 3 days with Mom and Dad Abbott, the Kleinmans and the Andersons. On our way home, we stopped off at Gma Bettys and saw Tommy and family and Larissa and Doug and Sheelah again. It was like having 4 mini Christmases and the kids had a blast! One of their best gifts was a set of bey-blades which the boys played non-stop for several days.

We made it safely home and we happy to get back to find Sadie our dog dirty and happy from the farm she stayed at and Sadie the Snake had molted in her cage. At a lunch stop on the way home, Ethan was running to catch a plastic bag and ran into a brick wall, putting a gash in his upper lip. It may scar, so we'll see how that goes! Also, we got some results on the bone age of the twins which showed that we don't need to worry about their height! Yay!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

ps- These were just a few of our Christmas pictures but I seem to be having problems with my camera! Bleh!

Beary Kindergartener

2011-12-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

Isn't this beary kindergartener so cute? All the kindergarteners wore their bear shirts and sang Christmas songs. Asher had been practicing them all by himself all week. So cute!

We wish you a Beary Christmas from all of us here in Arizona!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Lights at the Temple

2011-12-24T18:13:00.006-05:00

At the lights at the Mesa Temple. They were gorgeous! I can't get Ethan to smile for the world!

The star above this Nativity was amazing!

Half of us at the Lights. The boys were exploring nearby.

A Lladro Nativity set from Spain. My favorite!

Merry Christmas, everyone! This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

All I want for Christmas...

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

is my TWO front teeth!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Loving this!

2011-12-21T18:51:00.001-05:00

Shawni, at 71 toes.blogspot.com, shared a neat thought about Christmas. She talked about 3 different levels of experiencing Christmas. It really put things into perspective for me. I thought I would share it with you. Here you go. Merry Christmas! From me to you!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Birthday, 2011!

2011-12-20T11:37:00.004-05:00

Me, 34, and the kids!

I only have ten minutes- make that eight- until I help do Christmas Rotations at Asher's Kindergarten but I wanted to write about my birthday. Josh was so sweet and made us all waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. Jonah came down and said "Is it General Conference today?" (that's our usual Conference tradition. I went and built Gingerbread houses (we hot glued them together) for Ethan's Christmas Party today. When I came home I found that someone ( my sweet Visiting Teachers) had hearted my door. Since Josh was home the whole time I thought it was him. So sweet!

We went out to lunch at Joe's Farm Grill that gives you a free meal if it's your birthday. They were featured at Diners, Drive-ins and Dives so there were quite a few Asian tourists there, taking pictures of everything. I took 1 picture and it wasn't very good. The burgers were amazing and for the first time ever I wasn't able to finish it. After that we went to the San Tan Outdoor Mall and went shopping. I love shopping. In case you didn't know! Josh bought me a present that I picked out- berry bubble bath from Philosophy and now my time is up.

I picked up the kids, did some Christmas baking and we had a Pasta Bar for dinner. I was so full that we couldn't even eat cake. Oh, my Uncle Jimmy and Zack came over the day before for dinner and brought cake. Josh also got me Mindy Gledhill's first cd and the day ended with a bath in my new suds, then listening to the cd while Josh read to me BossyPants. So funny. I crashed before I could even get ready for bed. What a day!

Josh has been prepping for work and I sure will miss him when he's gone every day!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Family Photos 2011

2011-12-19T16:39:00.001-05:00

My sweet, sweet sister met us at the beach near Santa Barbara Zoo and took our family pictures. They turned out great! Thanks, Lariss!!! (I still owe a few people these pictures- they are coming in the mail!)

The whole family!

Elizabeth

The boys- Jonah, Ethan and Asher. I took them to the Mall on Saturday and got 2 comments asking if they were triplets. They sure are getting to be close in size! The boys measured small at their last Dr. visit and we're planning to do an x-ray on their bones to see what size they are. We'll see!

Don't you just love this shot? I thought about choosing this one!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

ps. I am 34 today! How cool is that? More on that later!

BIG news!!!

2011-12-15T20:00:00.001-05:00

Josh has a job!!!

This is something that has been in the works for a little while now, but Josh had a full day of interviews on Monday and yesterday morning he got the call offering him the job. As of January 3rd, he will be the Director for the Center for Law, Science and Innovation at ASU law school. Hooray!!!

We are thrilled! There cannot be a better job suited for Josh than this one. It involves working with students and faculty, research, fund raising, administration, teaching and grant writing to name a few.

When we left Maryland, we didn't know what kind of job we would end up with. Josh's law experience was all in a type of law they don't really do in Arizona. We figured that a law degree and 5 years experience would be on our side. And we found something better than we even hoped for.

Isn't that how it works? God leads us by the hand, taking us through the unknown and new and different and brings us to something we never even knew was out there. Now, if we can just sell our house in Maryland, find a new one here and grow our family- we'd be all set! ;)

And do you know what I'm excited about the most? The free/reduced tuition at ASU! Photography, interior design, writing- here I come!

This is my happy blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Amen!

2011-12-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

You can read more about Michelle Duggar's Pregnancy Loss here. If you want to.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

-warning: sometimes my links work, sometimes they don't. Now you know!

Santa Letters and Mutton Chops

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Josh shaved off his beard. But first, he had to do this. Hee Hee!

I really wanted to post Elizabeth's Santa letter, but since she told me to not write personl things about her on my blog, I won't. Here is Jonah's letter to Santa for 2011.

"Dear santa I been good all year. I want A teloscope that I can look in space. And a little sister so my big sister could play with her. And 25 dollers. and a game any game. and A remote-control dirt bike. and a Jingle bell and a flashlight and a pack of buble gum. And scooby Doo the movie. From Jonah to santa"

The part about the little sister made me cry. He'll be getting one or two of the things on his list this year. Oh, and Asher wrote that he wants a puppy. Even though we now have a dog. He still wants a puppy. Santa will not be bringing him what's on his list this year. But he will get a cool new something that starts with B. And ends in ike. And he will love it!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

More Thanksgiving

2011-12-13T09:00:00.009-05:00

Before Christmas starts in Full Swing, here are some more pics of our Thanksgiving. Highlights included freshly grilled lobster and rib roast, going tide pooling, going to the Santa Barbara Zoo and touring Downtown Santa Barbara on the Trolley. We love Santa Barbara. Always have, always will. And Doug and Sheelah were the perfect hosts! They even babysat for us one night while we went out to dinner and movie. It was all very wonderful!

Us at the Santa Barbara

Asher surfing at the Santa Barbara Zoo.

A Flamingo at the Zoo- love that pink!

My Parents

Uncle Doug and Aunt Sheelah

Cousins playing in the back yard!

Lobster ready to be par-broiled and grilled!

HOPE

2011-12-12T08:00:00.002-05:00

Hope here

I can feel the hope oozing from this message. Sometimes people go through hard times so that others can learn from them. Sometimes I feel like our hard times are so that others can learn as well. I have learned a lot from Stephenie's accident. Her love for her family, for life, for her Father in Heaven and for Motherhood amazes me. And as I am amazed, I learn and grow.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Questions

2011-12-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

I have a few questions for you-

1. Do you have all your Christmas shopping done? (It's the 9th. Just so you know!)

2. Have you heard of hueandhum.com? There is a free Christmas download on their blog. He is a singer in the band The Fictionist in Utah and she is an artist. Love, love their sound and I love new Christmas tunes each year.

3. What is your all time favorite Christmas song?

4. Did you know that it is great fun to have a dog? Who knew?

5. Have you seen Downton Abbey? It's a BBC series on Netflix. My Dad recommended it to us and I love it- it's brilliant!

6. Did you know you can watch shows on amazon.com? You can and it was awesome! Some are even free if you are an amazon prime member, although if you get netflix, it may be the same.

7. Did you know that it takes 3-4 hrs to bath, dry, cut and comb a Cocker Spaniel/Border Collie type Dog? I thought it took 30 minutes. Yeah, I'm a novice!

8. Did you know that we currently have 4 types of advent calendars in our house? 1 little squares of chocolate under numbers (the kids are always telling each other what number to open when they wake up and come downstairs- Jonah, it's 8 today. 8!), a chain from Jonah's class, a good deeds chain from Kindergarten aka land of the cute crafts, and Eric Carle's Dream Snow Pop Up Calendar .

9. Did you know that when you substitute at different schools you get to know all sorts of teachers and schools? I discovered Pioneer Elementary today and fell in love- the open campus, the fun kids, the big cactus garden in the middle, the fact that they are called the Prospectors and they had a Prospector with a santa hat. Oh, and an elf was working the lunch line. Love it!

10. The kids do a fun run after school every Thursday and they give out popsicles at the end.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

You know you live in Arizona when...

2011-12-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

1. The ice cream man comes around in December playing Christmas Music.

2. The palm trees get decorated in Christmas Lights.

3. There is no grass in the front yards (just rocks) for your dog to go potty on, so he goes in your own back yard.

4. There are 2 shaved ice stores where you can buy shaved ice year round- Heaven!

5. People get lizards and turtles for their pets for Christmas.

6. Everyone decorates their rock yards with inflatable Christmas figures for Christmas.

7. At special events there is fake "snow" for the kids to play in.

8. The kids have 'sleds' complete with wheels and everything.

9. There are no storm drains- just drains that lead to the local park.

10. You have 2 air conditioners- 1 for the main floor and 1 for the second floor.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Imagine

2011-12-07T13:27:00.003-05:00

Today I was driving and feeling a little sorry for myself. For a few big reasons. And then I drove by a Christmas Decoration and my thoughts turned to Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

I could just imagine her, nine months pregnant and in LABOR. She is sitting on a donkey, in a strange city- crowded and smelly and loud. If I were Mary, all I would want would be a clean room, my good husband and a sweet maid to attend to the birth.Simple.Basic. But Mary and Joseph kept getting turned away. Again and again. I'm sure Mary had a moment of doubt- "Every room is full? Really?" And then, I'm sure, there were angels comforting her, strengthening her.

I feel that same way sometimes. As though every door is being closed in my face. I have moments of doubt, of fear- when my faith is being tested.

And then a solution is found- a clean stable. A healthy husband and someone to help out. And the best part of it all? A healthy baby boy- the Savior of All mankind. Born this night in the city of Bethlehem. A child. Who is Christ the Lord.

As the doors are shut, and we are at times turned away, I can feel His peace. He is there. Angels are supporting us and a solution will be found. Sometimes it's not the solution we had imagined, but always it comes, bringing blessings of it's own.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

ps- Check out these new videos on the Birth of Jesus

OUR DOG

2011-12-06T08:52:00.001-05:00

Last week I got an e-mail about an ad for a dog that I had posted on Craigslist earlier. I asked for a picture and when I saw her, I wasn't sure so we wanted her. When we had first decided that our family needed a dog (it all started with a trip to the Puppy Store at the Mall) I had wanted a small, blonde and brown dog. A purebred. A dog that would sit on my lap and that I could cuddle and coddle.

The dog we went to see on Saturday was not that kind of dog. It was black and white, a mix of a cocker spaniel (which I adore) and border collie. She was not a puppy- she was almost 4 years old. We had to take all the kids with us to see her and at the sight of so many of us, she peed her pants. Literally. Not a good sign for me. She was running all around- super excited to see new people. Again, not what I was expecting. At all. I kept my distance and let the kids pet her and Josh get to know her. We'll have to look again, I thought.

And then 15 minutes passed and I saw how happy Josh and the kids were. There was a prayerful moment passed and something happened. The owner mentioned that she had not had a bath for 6 months and I took notice of the dread locks on her legs- the hair matted and thick. Poor girl, I thought. And I knew that I wanted to take her home and take care of her and never let her go. She was ours. We were hers.

We told the owner we would think about it and as we left, I felt torn. Torn that we had to go and she had to stay. The next day, Sunday, she came to live with us. Since then our house hasn't been the same!

She is a sweet, sweet dog- full of energy, stamina and intelligence since she is part Border Collie part Spaniel. She never barks unless she sees another dog. She likes to go on walks 3 times a day and thrush out birds in the bushes. She wags her tail a lot and whimpers when the kids go to school. She is beautiful, she is kind and she is ours. Our Sadie.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

p.s. Yes, our snake's name is Sadie too. She doesn't know that though since she doesn't have ears. We may change her name. We'll see.

--Happy St. Nicholas Day! What did St. Nick leave you?

Beautiful Heartbreak

2011-12-05T09:00:00.001-05:00

When I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder almost 3 years ago, I didn't know what to do or what to expect. What would my future be like? Would I be able to realize all of my dreams, my hopes, my aspirations?

Now, almost 3 years later, here I am. I am healthy and I am happy.

It has been tough. Really tough. But if I could go back and change things I wouldn't. I wouldn't do it for the world.

Hilary Weeks has come out with a new song- Beautiful Heartbreak. It has touched my heart and I hope it will touch yours as well.

We all have a sign we could wear. You never know what someone is struggling with.

How am I doing- you ask? I am doing okay. Mostly, I am grateful for the Tender Mercies that Heavenly Father sends. A sweet woman at Church today, coming up and giving me a squeeze and chatting about losing a baby for a while. Finding the Perfect Dog and bringing her home (more on that later!) after putting an ad on Craigslist 3 weeks ago. Seeing the sun burst from the clouds on a ride home from the gym. When I focus on finding Him, He is there.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Things You May Not Know About Me, part 2

2011-12-02T14:52:00.004-05:00

Entering California a week ago!

1. I love Banana Chips.

2. We get a Christmas ornament each year with the year on it. Sometimes it has our picture in it and sometimes not.

3. I love watching Frasier on Neflix. I thought I would get tired of it. I haven't!

4. I LOVE circus peanuts (you know- that orange peanut candy that tastes like Bananas).

5. I love baking cinnamon rolls, banana bread and homemade pizza and wish I did it a lot more often!

6. I love Stephens Hot Chocolate. I was really cold for the first time in 4 months yesterday and had a cup of it- Heaven!

7. I love Sees Candy, Lindt (the red, plain kind but anything will do!) and Godiva.

8. I love getting mail and will sometimes send letters just to get letters back.

9. I had a black and white kitten once named mittens since it paws were white when I was little.

10. I thought Breaking Dawn was too scary but I am going to see it again tonight!

11. I love Halloween, Valentines Day and Christmas, not necessarily in that order.

12. We now have 8 am Church. And Christmas is on a Sunday! Uh!

13. A good "Uh!!" can take the place on a swear word.

14. I am sensitive to smells and can barely wear perfume without it giving me a headache. I have had to choose between smelling good and having a headache or not and sometimes I have chosen the headache!

15. I like going for walks by myself (and with the kids).

16. I love sending Christmas Cards out and will be doing so soon! :)

17. I wear a size 8 or 8 1/2 shoe.

18. I really like shoes and have quite a few, but I only wear a couple.

19. I hate making phone calls. I would rather e-mail or facebook than call someone. I am working on this.

20. I love, love, love In N Out. If you are going, call me and I'll come with you! No problem!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

p.s. 23 more days until Christmas!!!

What a handsome guy!

2011-12-01T21:00:00.000-05:00

Hello, Handsome Man who takes me on dates to eat yummy food and watch romantic movies! Nice to see you!

Doug and Josh on the Harley, ready for a ride! The kids thought the bike was noisy in the garage!

Riding away!!!

Hello, boots on sale for $10 at Target! Thank you end rack clearance!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

p.s. I subbed today and put in my first whole day of work after 9 years! It was interesting and unique and fun and slightly boring. It was for resource and the teacher had forgotten to leave half of her lesson plans. Plus, all the other aides were sick and the kids were sick and told me they hoped I didn't get sick. What? I realized that while working is hard, being a Mom is harder. On many levels.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-30T00:16:00.005-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Santa Barbara, California. How about you?

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Team California vrs. Team Arizona

2011-11-28T08:00:00.003-05:00

I am always wondering where would be the best place to live. Is it Maryland with it's beautiful greenery? Utah, with it's fabulous mountains? California with it's beaches and family? Or is it Arizona? Upon returning from a lovely Thanksgiving break in California (thank you, Doug and Sheelah!) and with Breaking Dawn, from the Twilight Saga, still seared onto my memory, I will now discuss the argument of Team California versus Team California, I mean Arizona.

Team California:

-I grew up there.
-Lovely weather
-Sweet people.
-Family, and lots of it!
-Beaches.
-In n Out
-Lovely shopping.

Team Arizona

-Great weather.
-Beautiful vistas and sunsets.
-In n Out.
-Stretches and stretches of desert (which I love).
-An uncle and nephew and a nice distance from family.
-Cheap living costs and housing.
-Good schooling in Gilbert.

The verdict is yet to be decided. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

p.s. Seeing Breaking Dawn after recently having a miscarriage was a little surreal.

p.p.s. En route to Cali this time around, I decided to take the time to go onto Twitter. You can follow me at #Arizona_Abbott

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Asher came home from Kindergarten today with such cute books, I had to share! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I am thankful for the green grass.

I am thankful for the brown hills.

I am thankful for my family and myself. He threw in an extra girl in our family. There is still someone to come to our family. It made me smile!

Happy Turkey Day! This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Visit from my Parents

2011-11-23T14:00:00.000-05:00

My Parents visited and were a HUGE help. Thanks, Mom and Dad! *With the kiddos here.

Finally- some ok smiles. Guessing time again- which one is which? Does this game ever get old? Ok. I'll tell you- Ethan is in blue and Jonah red. Of course!

Asher, age 5

Flowers brought from the Relief Society President. Lovely, no?

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Hi, I'm Megan. Mormon.org

2011-11-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

My Mormon.org Profile

I recently updated my profile, changed my picture and added the fact that we live in Arizona now. It's a fun project to work on. Josh has a profile too! Love it!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

One more

2011-11-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

via internet

Ok. One more blog post about this past couple of weeks, and then I am done. In the midst of this trial, I had a dream. In it we had moved close to the Kleinmans and the Andersons and Ellen and Jason were visiting with their two kids. There was bread dough rising on the counter and I was tickling their baby boy, who was about one, and making him laugh. I laughed and people were in awe of how happy I was. I was truly happy and I realized- there is more to life than just ourselves.

We are entwined with all the people we love- mostly family. I saw MaryRuth, her hair up in a long ponytail, and gave her a big hug. This week Diane Hill, my visiting teacher, came and brought us a banana cream pie. People in your ward can act as your surrogate family. They can love you, watch over you and make you happy.

From this dream, this is what I know: We feel our Savior's Love when we spend time with our families, when we serve others unselfishly and when we use our talents for good (baking pizza, bread, cinnamon rolls). We feel of His love when we care about others, when we put others before our own selves.

This past week I have felt His love as a Visiting Teacher who was completely unaware of the situation called to say she had been thinking of me and asked how I was. I felt His Love as an Elders Quorum President took an hour away from his own family to administer to ours. I felt His Love as Josh held me in his arms.

I felt His love as Josh's Parents expressed their great love for me and as many friends and family members sent their love through e-mail, blog comments and phone calls. I felt His love from a single, thoughtful e-mail right before our last ultrasound. I felt His Love in the embrace of a sweet sister who lost a small one at 18 weeks along. I felt His Love as my Parents drove over 6 hrs to come and help support, lift and strengthen our family. I don't know if we could have made it without them.

And now that I have been filled with His love, through others, I am touched and humbled and I want to give back. I want to reach out and touch someone else's life, with His love. And what better time to do it than this Holiday season? I know He lives. I have felt His Hand in my life. I know He loves each and everyone of us. We are so special to Him. And of this I am THANKFUL.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

8 am

2011-11-20T07:12:00.006-05:00

The second round of medicine they gave me did nothing, so they had to schedule a D and C. I had one with my last miscarriage as well. We went in on Friday morning for a consult and since the Dr. I was seeing could only do it on Wednesday and we wanted to get it done sooner, we waited to see another Dr. who could do it earlier. The Dr. was very sweet and we scheduled it for Saturday at 10 am. My Mom and Dad were able to watch the kids for us, so that helped a lot. Friday, I was actually feeling fine instead of sick which the medicine made me, so my Mom and I ran around shopping and going to a very fun Holiday Boutique. We also hit Target and Joanns, ate a yummy homemade pizza dinner and then Josh and I went to a session at the Temple for Stake Temple Days. It was a very fun, busy day- to make up for the days I had spent waiting around to miscarry.

8 am found us at the hospital. I had not eaten or drank anything and by the time 9:30 am came around you had a still pregnant woman, sitting in an almost empty waiting room, listening to the buzz of a vending machine and reading ads in magazines about macaroni and cheese and chocolate cookies. When a lady came in and noisily got a soda, I was about to lose it!

We got settled in and everyone was commenting on how young I looked for having 4 children. Hee hee. I was glad that I do have children to come home to. Everything went fine, and soon I was being wheeled to the car. I slept off and on for the rest of the afternoon and evening from the anesthesia and now it's thrown my sleep off a little. My Parents took the kids to Gilbert Days while we were gone, where they rode ponies and ate cotton candy. They came home thrilled!

Asher woke up yesterday morning with 2 wiggly bottom teeth. He was so happy! "Look, Mom, look!" He kept saying. It was like Christmas morning. My baby is growing up!

To be continued...

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Photography Blogs

2011-11-18T06:00:00.006-05:00

amywhitneyphotography.blogspot.com

I am thankful for fun friends and fun blogs. One of my friends from High School lives close by and is in our same Church Stake. Her blog amywhitneyphotography.blogspot.com is adorable and I love her photography! Her kids are adorable too! If you need at photographer in the Phoenix/Mesa Area, she is amazing!

fifephotography.com

Fifephotography is done by Amber, a friend from BYU. She shoots with her husband in Utah and I love, love her photos! If anyone needs a photographer in Utah, she is your man- I mean, lady!

I love how photography is so accessible now a days! Good cameras are available everywhere, from point and shoots to really fancy DLSRs. I haven't been taking a lot of pictures lately, but I like looking at photography blogs. I just recently learned about shooting in RAW. It allows so many more pixels in the image when you take it and really lets you do a lot in terms of editing and changing things like white balance. I don't think my camera has the ability to do it. I'll have to upgrade one day!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Again

2011-11-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

At the Doctors.
Hoping.
Praying.
Expectant.
Due in June.
A June bug baby.

On the screen.
At the monitor.

An empty sac.

The empty sac
Was just like
My Heart.
Empty.

A miscarriage.
Again.

I stood and turned
And left,
Walking past the
Swollen bellies
In the waiting room.

Swollen with waiting
Waiting for something
I wouldn't have.
At least not right now.

Tears slipped down my cheeks,
My heart was swollen with grief
Yet my womb was empty.

Again.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Thank you, Josh!

2011-11-16T19:15:00.005-05:00

I took a few head shots of Josh for his profile pic on linkedin. They turned out pretty good! If your not friends with Josh on linkedin, look him up! :)

Well, I took the prescribed medicine on Monday. Lots of cramping but nothing. Tuesday morning, I called the Dr. and they said it could take a day or two. If it was going to take that long, I needed extra support. I called my Mom and asked her to come. She and my Dad arranged things, which was quite a sacrifice for them and arrive around 9:30 pm last night. What life savers! My Mom is cooking dinner as we speak.

Tuesday brought nothing but more cramps, so I called the Dr. this morning just to see how long the light of the tunnel would be. They told me to come in. I went and they said the drug only works 80% of the time. I am the lucky 20%. Hmm. They sent me home with another prescription. To try again. So far nothing. Just major period-like cramps. My labor was 52 hrs with Elizabeth and while this isn't a labor, it looks like my body has forgotten how to have a baby.

Josh has been such a great help during this time. I've stood in awe at his patience to my grumpiness, at his constant help with my 3 boys who can get rowdy at times and our 1 girl who can get super emotional. He has done research online to understand more of what is going on, has brought me my heated corn bag, has made me laugh, has gone grocery shopping and done the laundry. He has dropped kids off and picked them up. He has helped with homework and picking up around the house and done the dishes nightly (well, they all do that every night).
This man is amazing.

Recently he decided to grow a beard. You know, since it is Fall. He looks super handsome with it. It comes in red each time (this is the 3rd time- once out of law school and once last year.) I love it!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

ps- C'mon, uterus! You can do it!

Sometimes...

2011-11-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

Another pic from our House in Maryland

Sometimes in life, things don't go as planned. You try your best and life lets you down. Last week I went for my second visit with my OBGYN. I was planning to see a beautiful little 7 week old embryo, moving around a little with a teeny, tiny heart going thumpa, thumpa, thumpa.

All we saw was an empty sac. It took a few moments for it to set in. Anytime now they would find a heartbeat, I thought. But they didn't. The sac was measuring too small. They told me to come back in a week- today. To do another ultrasound. To check and be sure. I knew that I hadn't got my dates wrong. It was a miscarriage. I have been through this before but it doesn't make it any better.

Dang it. CRAP. And maybe another word as well. I don't get mad very often. But when I had spent the last 3 weeks hoping and dreaming. And then it ends, just like that? Luckily we hadn't told the kids or many people.

We went back to the Dr. yesterday, after a week of waiting, to confirm and check to see if there was any growth. I had come to terms with it. There wasn't any change. It was a blighted ovum. The Dr. gave me some pills to make it pass and I started them when I got home.

I know that all things will work out for my good. I know that. I will just have to wait and see. We'll be okay. People have been so thoughtful and helpful and supportive. Thank you. Sometimes life doesn't go as planned. And it hurts. I wish there was a pill for that kind of pain.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

ps. Baby Rose would be 1 yrs old today. I didn't name this one, as it was just so early.

30 ways to de-stress

2011-11-14T07:00:00.001-05:00

Appreciating nature- a good way to de-stress!

I've really being trying to have less stress in my life lately. It makes for a lot healthier life style. Here is a list I came up with of 30 ways to have less stress in my/your life:

1. Spend time with friends (talking/laughing/chatting always helps!)
2. Swimming/walking/running
3. Eating healthy- including fruits, veggies, protein, vitamins
4. Reaching out to the world
5. Service to others
6. Pets- dog, cat, snake, etc.
7. Talking to your spouse @ problems.
8. Taking time for yourself- reading something good, Stephen Raspberry Hot Chocolate
9. Planning trips/vacations (for me)
10. Making & setting goals.
11. Really praying
12. Pondering the scriptures
13. Taking vitamins (did I say that already?)
14. Living Righteously
15. Trusting in the Lord
16. Going to the Temple
17. Knowing where your money is & how it's working for you.
18. Listening to sweet tunes.
19. Having the Spirit with you.
20. Writing letters/writing (for me)
21. Playing the piano (working on it daily/new music)
22. Blogging
23. Trusting in Heavenly Father's plan for you.
24. Baking (me- 1 x a week)
25. Talking to family.
26. Learning something new.
27. Giving back.
28. Eat chocolate.
29. Dates with Hubby.
30. Decorate for the Holidays.

Hope you have a less-stressful week this week!

Love,
Megan

-Bonus- taking pictures!

11-11-11

2011-11-11T21:47:00.005-05:00

Grandma's Room in Maryland

I miss this room. (If you want to see it personally, stop on by on Sunday between 1:30 pm and 4 pm- it'll be open!) We have been here for 3 months tomorrow. Our first home has been on the market for as much so and even a little bit more. There have been a lot of lookers but no takers. I really think it shows better with furniture it in. But since there is none, it will just have to do. This 20 ft extra room of ours was my favorite. This was where Grandma and any other guests for that matter stayed when they came to visit. We called it Grandma's room. We have a guest room here and we still try to call it Grandma's room but it just can't live up to it's predecessor. I blogged in that room, napped in that room, wrestled with the kids on that bed. That was where Asher made a hole in the wall when he was jumping on the bed. That room was where Beta, our only pet fish, lived. Who now lives with good friend Matthew. Hopefully.

Today, I read a great thought on Mothering. I love being a Mother and it is really hard work. Because of that, I love it when people give advice on how to be a good Mother. Shawni Pothier, the National Young Mother of the Year, who is having a retreat at her house in Gilbert next Friday and I will be dreaming of being there, spoke on her blog today about Gratitude. She said that when you start the day with an attitude of gratitude the day goes a lot better. When you are thankful for what you have, for your children, your home, your health, little tender mercies then you are more patient. You are more understanding and you are a better Mother.

I am excited to do this. Even if I don't feel grateful, I am going to count my blessings in the morning when I awake and that always puts me in a better mood. In fact, maybe I can try it on my blog (what with a new netbook having been bought with saved piano teaching $).

I am grateful for the Holiday season and the sparkles it brings me. I am grateful for the sparkles in my children's eyes as they play and laugh and run and jump. And I am grateful for you, dear readers.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

I love to see the Temple

2011-11-10T16:23:00.006-05:00

I love to see the Temple.

I'm going there someday.

To feel the Holy Spirit.

To listen and to pray.

10 Things...

2011-11-09T11:26:00.003-05:00

You may or may not know about me.

1. I love Ham and Cheese Sandwiches. LOVE them. Could eat them every day.

2. I really like to be organized. I'm not really good at it, but when I try and work on it makes me really happy.

3. I really like planning. I like to plan my day, my week, my month, my year, the next five years, the next twenty, etc. Sometimes things don't go as planned, but oh, well!

4. I LOVE listening to General Conference. I almost always try to watch all of the sessions when they come on. Sometimes I fall asleep, but hey- I'm there!

5. I am starting to love Arizona. The Desert smell after the rain, the clear blue skies that change into cloudy ones from day to day, our amazing Church book club that has been meeting for years!

6. I often think about babies and when can I have another one.

7. I wouldn't mind having twins again (huh?)

8. I love new and trendy graphic designs.

9. I have extremely vivid dreams and often have 3 or 4 a night.

10. Cancer runs in my family (my Paternal Grandma had Uterine Cancer, my Maternal Aunt passed away from Pancreatic Cancer and my Dad has had Chronic Lymphonic Leukemia).

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

It was Friday!

2011-11-08T04:00:00.000-05:00

me. bored in photography class. practicing on my hand.

The other day we went to the Temple, Josh and I. We drove and I sat up front (where else would I sit?) snacking on Tropical Trail Mix from the Wal-marts and drinking Grape Propel from my favorite (and only) pink water bottle. Now, where is this story going? Well, I'll tell you.

We parked in my favorite spot- on 2nd street, across the street and right in front of the small side gate (well, almost right in front- someone actually was parked in my favorite spot so this was my second favorite spot) and this was after several debates on whether we should actually try a different spot this time.

The air smelled like a bird had died and gone to Heaven- which if it did, being close to the Temple was probably the best place. The weather was gorgeous- a mild 72 and the people were friendly- smiling at us as though we were friends even though we are really strangers. That's usually how it goes at the Temple.

We enjoyed lengthy session where we saw the sweet lady in a wheelchair who goes at the exact same time we go (sporting lovely new bronze nail polish and a fresh haircut) and I thought to myself "I want to be like her when I grow up. Still painting my nails (or having someone else paint them) and getting my hair did. Oh, and attending the temple every Friday morning at 9:30 am on the dot. Amazing."

We treated ourselves to some lovely refreshments afterwards in the Cafeteria- because treats after the temple are always superb. I had the half-frozen-but-still-delicious giant creme puff (I love those things!). Josh had the tapioca. (tapioca? Really? Just kidding- it was good!) We stopped by Deseret Book where I ran in, tried to ignore the Christmas Music blaring from it's speakers, grabbed a hard cover Book of Mormon for my new Scripture Study (it's a get-a-new-copy-and-fill-it-with-color-and-ideas program) and we were on our way home, checking e-mails, phone messages (for any job offers that may have occurred while at the Temple), and making calls. Isn't lovely how we can take our home office anywhere we go?

And yes, you can thank me for not mentioning anything about Justin Beiber or Kim Kardhashian.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

ps. Amy, do you want me to send you some of our Halloween candy to you in Japan? We have entirely too much of it!

pps. Does anyone know how The Adjustment Bureau ends? Our copy from the library had so many scratches and after lathering it up with scope toothpaste like Google recommended, it still did not work and had to be returned. Do they or do they not end up together???!!!???

I am in love with...

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Natalie Holbrook! Cjane and NieNie.

That is all.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Pinterest Love

2011-11-04T06:06:00.002-04:00

Blogs are like books- you can never get enough of them. They are always there- tempting you with their treasures, tantalizing you with their home decorating/crafting/baking ideas. And Pinterest? It is the new library at my fingertips. Within a minute I can be directed to two or three new crafty blogs. ones I've never heard of . I step into a new world, bookmark it so i can find it again and fall in love. I've only re-pinned blogs- I just downloaded my pin it bar the other day. No longer do I have to bookmark sites to find them and fall in love over and over. Now i can just pin them. And they are organized too! Now, i wish my brain worked just as smoothly!

here are 3 new sites I found and love, just like i love jane austen and John Grisham:

(Never Home) Maker I made these frozen banana bites last night- delicious!

Design {etc}

Kitchen Krafts

Enjoy!

Megan

My First Kiss...

2011-11-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

via pinterest

from Ethan (since he was a toddler). Happened Friday evening Oct. 28th 2011, 5:45 pm. Right before dinner. The frozen pizzas were cooking in the oven (yep- frozen!) and I had just finished reading a book about Mommies to Asher. Ethan came up, squeezed in and started reading it to me. "Some Mommies drive a minivan (me!). Some Mommies drive a motorcycle (not me, but it was established I did ride one once). All mommies like to hang out with their kids (me!) . All Mommies like to kiss and hug their kids." I proclaimed "I do too!" and proceeded to give him a big kiss and hug.

Ethan shyly said "I haven't kissed anyone. Ever." This is my 7 year old speaking. It was true. Except Jonah when they played the game "let's-kiss-on-the-lips-to-be-silly" game when they were four.

"You can kiss me!" I proclaimed. Promptly and admirably. And he did. He leaned over and planted one right on my cheek and then I knew.

It had been a long, long time!

Elizabeth gives me kisses all the time. Asher too. Just not the twins. I hadn't really noticed.

I saw Jonah, who was timidly watching our interaction and I knew he hadn't kissed me either! I tried to encourage him and he wouldn't do it. He wasn't ready.

And that one kiss? It was one of those moments. Those moments in your day, your week, your life, where you stop and say "This. This is why I became a Mom and I love it."

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T06:00:00.001-04:00

Elizabeth as a cat girl!

Josh was a soccer Hooligan and I was a Twilight fan- on Edwards' side (I'm usually on Jacob's. Ok. I switch back and forth- I'm a fair weather fan!)

Ethan as a zombie, night stalker

Jonah as a vampire!

Asher as Spiderman!

All 4 kiddos

Along with candy, someone passed out these cool glasses. The kids loved them! They also got mini pumpkin slinkies, a clip on a bag of pretzels, some stretchy mice (which Asher slept with last night!) and some granola bars.

I was not feeling so great so I handed the camera over to Josh and he took these great shots of the kids! Halloween went great this year! The weather was warm- 90 degrees so it felt like summer and not really Fall to me. It felt like people were pretending it was Halloween and dressing up and trick or treating for fun. No Hot Chocolate, fire in the fireplace or thick Halloween costumes for us!! Josh took the kids out around 6:15 and they got back around 7:30 pm. I let them eat and then pick out 25 of their favorite pieces. We put those in separate bags and they can have two pieces after school and after dinner. I know it sounds a little over controlling, but with counting all the candy after we collected the rest and getting the number of 320 pieces, it was all I could do to feel better about that much candy in this house.

I stayed home and passed out the treats. I saw quite a few Moms dressed in skimpy costumes, which was pretty sad. I love what Christopher said on facebook-

"Halloween: #1 self inflicted cause for women losing the 'more than just a sex symbol' battle"

(never knew you could be quoted from your facebook posts, huh? Watch out world!)
We did see quite a few families from Church and that was fun. I realized that people have to put up a LOT of Halloween decorations so we know it's Fall, since there are no leaves that change color or weather that cools off a lot to let us know!

Photography

2011-11-01T05:00:00.006-04:00

Not a good exposure!

OK (Our class shoot with a model.)

As some of you know, I have a few favorite blogs I read daily. You know that I read them because I often refer to something that they said that inspired me, touched me or I thought was clever. I'm often like "you know- Nie Nie is expecting a girl right? And she has this adorable necklace that shows 2 pink little baby feet. I love it!"

Or "You know the blog I read 71 toes- Shawnie- she talked today about how you should teach your young women to spend a little time in the morning to look nice and then go out thinking about how to serve others. I love that.

Well, a month ago Stephenie Nielson advertized a free photo shoot in Mesa right near my house. I really wanted to go but never signed up. Last week she advertised another one and I signed up right away! I spent a couple of hours last Saturday learning about aperture, ISO, exposure and then putting those to practice in a photo shoot with a model. I had a really fun time and learned that I am DEFINITELY a hands-on learner rather than learning from reading ( I have a book on exposure but I have yet to get past the half way point). I learned that being a good photographer means taking a lot of pictures and getting a few good ones. Also, when someone is modeling for you, show them the picture on your camera. They will see they look good and brighten up! Everyone wants to look good! Everyone wants to look at least 10 lbs lighter in front of the camera- even our model who was about a size 2.

Here some of the things we learned:

Aperature is the same as f-stop. It is the size of the opening of your lens. The bigger the f-stop, the smaller the opening. Your camera can go from 1.8 (mine starts at 3.1) which is about like this O to 2.8 which is 0 and then 5.6 o up to 22 or 29 (zoomed out).

Boken -the pictures with a blurry background have a low f-stop and a big lens opening with a short depth of field. It only takes in what is in the foreground and leaves the rest blurry. F stop 4 is good for portraits because you need a bigger depth of field.

Shutterspeed controls how much light is coming in by how fast it opens. This is the exposure. Fast is 1/500 of a sec and it shows up on your camera display. 1/250 is half that speed. 1/60 and then slower is 1" second, 2" and 3"- very, very slow. Your can feel your camera pause. Bulb leaves the lens open as long as your finger is on it. Streaky lines in a pictures is a slow shutter speed. Tripods help with camera shake that happens with 1/60 or lower. You can prop up your camera on your knee or lean against a wall.

1/125th shooting still people

1/320 little kids who move fast

1/500 big kids

Ok. I'm tired. I learned more just retyping my notes now than just writing them in the class. Next up, ISO.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott

The wolves are howling

2011-10-31T21:49:00.003-04:00

Here I sit, in an arm chair next to the door, breezing through blogs and passing out snickers and pixie sticks to little mummies and tiny princesses and scary teenagers who really shouldn't be trick or treating. i was such a meanie and made a group of laughing ones (teenagers that is) actually hold out their bags and say trick or treat. goodness.

I was reading cJanes fictional non-fiction stories and was in pure heaven. You see, I am a READER. I would rather read than watch tv- although Frasier on netlix has been tempting me a lot lately. Josh and I have androids and I love using mine as my portable reader- scriptures, facebook (that's reading right?), blogs. My new lust is a tiny laptop that just gets wireless or maybe an ipad with a portable keyboard?

The wolves are howling, the moon is not really full, my kids will soon come back, flushed with the rush of even the thought of so much sugar, and I will close down my phone and listen to their stories, piled on top of each other like warm socks tumbling in the dryer and I will go to bed happy.

I just shut the door on a ghost buster and his father the marshmallow man. Made my night!

Don't try the Apple Cinnamon Jamba Juice. It's nasty. Even if you are craving something festive and they are all sold out of the pumpkin.

Dennis and Jan visit!

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

Metal suns at the Mexican Restaurant we went to. They had fun decorations and yummy food!

Uncle Dennis is my Mom's younger- and only- brother. He and his wife Jan live in Wisconsin and we haven't gotten to spend a lot of time with them. They are such fun people! He would send us a box of goodies every Christmas, although he told us they are now no longer making Candy Raisins! So sad! They were vacationing in AZ and came down and visited us! We talked for a while, went out to eat and went home for ice cream sundaes! I have such a fun family!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Our Halloween Cookies- plus some sugar!

2011-10-27T05:00:00.000-04:00

I, who love sugar, could barely finish one of these! Massive overload!

Elizabeth, enjoying her treat!

Happy Halloween! We have scored the jackpot by moving into a neighborhood of newly constructed homes built one on top of the other! Every other house has fun/sometimes slightly weird Halloween decorations (bones sticking out of a rock covered yard anyone?) and the kids have been having fun riding their bikes and checking out the new decorations put up daily. Hopefully their bags won't break with the amount of candy they get! And hopefully I'll get them to let me take some of it (and eat some too!)

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Fishing in Gilbert!

2011-10-25T05:00:00.000-04:00

Asher, fishing!

Elizabeth and Asher

Ethan and Jonah- note the jackets and pants. It was 70 degrees that morning- chilly for these Arizona dudes- already used to triple digits all the time!

I haven't been blogging much but I have been on pinterest (I love it!) more so when I I do blog expect some posts with cute crafts and ideas (stolen from someone else!) My Mom is on Pinterest too- so fun!

A few weeks ago Gilbert had a fishing day for the youth. We went and had lots of fun. There were tons of people there and a loud speaker broadcasting winners of prizes and scaring away all the fish but we had a fun time nonetheless! My kids will all be asking for fishing rods this Christmas! Hopefully Santa can fit four rods in his bag this year!

With 3 boys I do -and enjoy!- so many things I never thought I would! I actually really like fishing. I like the part where you cast the line in and wait- hoping and hoping for that one catch. And when it does come- it's like Christmas morning! No wonder some people love fishing! A tug, a reel, a squirmy alive thing, squeals of child glee!

Playing catch outside with Asher, then Ethan and Jonah in the backyard.

Watching them ride their bikes past Elizabeth who squirts them with a water gun like a home made sprinkler (until Elizabeth shot Asher in his nose and made him bleed!).

Taking them to the Fair and seeing their eyes light up at the first sight of the bumper cars! And begging to go on that one. Then having them be just an inch too short to drive!

I love having boys! And I wouldn't mind having another one!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Fall Break, with pics

2011-10-21T10:09:00.008-04:00

Elizabeth and Asher at the Pumpkin Patch

Ethan and Jonah

Shayla at the bounce house at the Pumpkin Patch

Mitchell- doesn't he look like Larissa when she was little?

Cousins with their orange balloon pumpkins (the kids plus Shayla and Mitchell)

Fun with mustach stickers- Ethan and Jonah!

I love...

2011-10-19T10:16:00.002-04:00

CJane! This post of hers on infertility really hit home to me. I like how she said that even if you have dealt with infertility and become pregnant later, you are a changed person and still feel the effects of infertility for some time after. It's an experience you never forget.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Fall Break

2011-10-17T16:26:00.005-04:00

My mom and the kids!

Our talks went really well! I was shaking even before I went up, but after awhile, I calmed down and all was smooth sailing from then on! And now we won't have to speak for another ten years! Unless we move into a new ward! Glad it's over with!

Last week was Fall Break for our kids. Since they started school so early, it's nice to have a little break in there! My Mom and Dad and sister Larissa and her two kids Shayla and Mitchell came to visit for half the week on Wed. It was SO nice having them here and it was fun showing them around! Thursday morning we went to the Riparian preserve and walked around the lake, looked at the ducks (you can't feed them bread-just seeds) and showed off the cacti. We also checked out the Library and got a movie and some books. Thursday afternoon my Mom, Larissa and I had a girls afternoon out and we went to Hobby Lobby and out for some Pumpkin Custard- which was really good! We brought the men back some to thank them for watching the kids!

The kids had lots of fun playing together and it's amazing what energy a 2 and 4 yr old can bring into the mix!

Friday morning we went to the Pumpkin Patch and then to the Mesa Temple to check out the Visitors Center. My Mom and Dad lived in a small house close to the temple right after they got married and they wanted to check it out, but it has since been replaced by a parking structure. Sad! Larissa went down to Tucson for a friend's baby shower and Josh and I went out on a date while my Parents watched the kids!

Saturday morning my Mom and I went shopping and the men went to the gym afterwards. My Mom made some fun gingerbread ghost cookies- she is a great cook! Uncle Jimmy- my Dad's brother came over for some hoagies for lunch and it was fun chatting. Later my Mom and I went and checked out the KB model homes (she pretended like she wanted to buy one- maybe she didn't have to pretend!). They are so beautifully decorated! Saturday night we watched a movie and Sunday morning they were on the road.

Thanks for visiting us guys- we had a blast! The kids had a slow start to their Monday morning today, but all will be well quite soon!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Psst...I'll let you in on a little secret...

2011-10-13T00:06:00.000-04:00

I don't like speaking in front of people!

Background:

I have always been shy in front of large groups. One time when I was a Senior in High School and had to play at a special musical recital, I was so nervous that my legs shook and the vase of the flowers on the baby grand piano began slowly dancing it's way to the edge. I kept one eye on the keys and one eye on the flowers- just waiting for them to come crashing down! (They didn't- phew)

My freshman year of BYU, I entered my American Heritage class in the JSB and was shocked by the amount of people there. When I asked how many there were I got the answer "500". In one class! (It was required of all freshman) I immediately told my friend that there was no way I would make a comment in that class. They had to pass the microphone to hear the person speak. Which is sad. Because I could have made a good contribution. I really could have. But I let my fear and my weakness stand in the way.

Even now I have a hard time making comments in Sunday School and Relief Society. If the group is small, I have no problem. If it's big? Woah.

That's all about to change.

It all started last Sunday morning during Sacrament mtg. when someone mentioned fast and testimony mtg. and I remembered that I had decided that I wanted to bear my testimony. We were sitting in the 3rd row in our new ward and had gotten there early to get those seats. I quickly decided that if there were no gaps in the testimonies being shared, that I didn't have to do it. A lady quickly stood up and spoke and I sighed with relief. And then there it was. The gap. And it kept going. And going.

So, I did it. I got up and looked across a wide expanse of faces. The overflow was filled. The second overflow was filled. I couldn't even see the faces of the people in the third overflow. They were just small little tan dots. "Good morning." I stumbled "Wow! This ward is big!" The thoughts I had went fluttering out of my head and I was left with nothing. I tried to scramble and put something together and doing so I realized that I kept saying "um...um...um" My legs shook like nothing else. And I finished and sat down.

I jokingly told a friend that that would probably be the last time that I bear my testimony in this we-are-a-stake sized ward. That's not going to happen. Got the call tonight to speak in Church on Sunday. This Sunday.

Oh, why oh why, did we not go out of town this weekend?

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Cactus

2011-10-11T17:35:00.006-04:00

Cactus
a poem by Elizabeth

Cactus
Very spikey
Growing flowers, and arms
Gives homes for birds and animals
Saguaro

Go, Elizabeth!

Dear Mr. Google

2011-10-10T06:00:00.003-04:00

Don't you just wish you could type somethings into Google and get the right answer?

"What is the best dog for Megan and her family.........

What is the most creative Halloween costume that can get you the most candy....

What is the best ratio of milk and cookies....2 cookies to 1 cup...or is it 2 cookies to a half a cup...

What should I do with myself now that all of my children are in school and I am definitely feeling like I need to add something to my plate...."

Oh, the things I could ask Google, if Google could talk!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

I am a Child of God

2011-10-09T09:04:00.007-04:00

This morning I woke up very early with a terrifying dream. I had chastised my son. Really loudly. In public. (Not that this may or may not have happened before). It shook me to the core. My soul knows who these little people really are and how special they are to our Heavenly Father.

I couldn't sleep so I went online and began watching (while flipping to other sites as well) Elder Uchdorf's Saturday Morning Conference address You Matter to Him. His message was meant just for me. And I mean that. Coming from Maryland, where we owned a beautiful home, had good, strong family who loved, served and counseled us often, with an income coming in and our lives established- to moving to Arizona with an Uncle and cousin in Mesa and our other closest family in California. Renting, struggling to make friends in a huge ward, working hard to set up house and home and establish a life for ourselves. I had begun to think "Have I been forgotten?" In fact, I had pleaded to Heavenly Father in prayer before Conference- "Let me know that you are here. Somehow. Someway. I need to know." I watched as much as I could and got a lot of good messages for me. But not the answer to my prayer. Until today.

We felt strongly that the Lord wanted us here- in fact, picked us up, put us in a beautiful place. And now I felt that He had left us. Here. To struggle. On our own.

President Uchdorf, in the cool morning that is October in Arizona, on a laptop that is 8 years old and reboots every ten minutes, let me know that that is NOT the case. He has not left us. I am not forgotten. He is mighty and all powerful and I am His child. We are His children. Of this I am grateful, on this Fast Sunday Morning.

My name is Megan Abbott. And I am a child of God.

Elizabeth's Birthday! (from Sept.)

2011-10-07T17:03:00.007-04:00

Elizabeth- 9 years old.

Elizabeth and the Desert cake that she requested. It turned out pretty good!

Elizabeth opening presents! She loves making cards and writing! She had a great birthday! My oldest is now 9! Wow!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Mormon.org

2011-10-06T11:00:00.006-04:00

I saw my very first Mormon.org commercial yesterday! I was at the gym, in the Women's locker room, when I noticed that someone I recognized was on tv. It was Alex Boye and he was doing a "I am a Mormon" 15 second spot of tv. I was so excited! I tried to stare intently at the tv so that the other people- okay, it was just one person- would wonder what I was staring at and would look too. And it worked! Right after his spot came another one- a Father and Mother of 3- happy and living the Gospel.

And I felt the Spirit. Right there, in the Women's Locker Room. And I was happy. I excitedly told Josh about it when I returned home. He has done a profile and I have done a profile on Mormon.org. I redid my picture and some of my descriptions- to change our location, etc.- and am just waiting for it to be approved again! I encourage you to do one. You can share it on facebook and twitter when it's approved.

I want to make a t-shirt that says "I am mormon.org" but I haven't found the time yet. Whoever thought you would have more time when your kids in school was COMPLETELY wrong. It seems like I have less time! "What? It's 2:30 pm already??? Where the heck did my day go?" Maybe it would be nice if my kids rode the bus and came home at 4:00 but then they would have less time to practice piano, do homework, Activity Days, etc! And I miss them like crazy too.

This is my blog. My name is Megan A.

-I forgot to mention that Ruth's husband- Abraham Wise- worked with Josh at WileyRein and that they are our friends! They are an amazing couple and they are wonderful examples to us of how we should live our lives. They are so faithful, loving and kind. They are amazing!

Quotes from General Conference

2011-10-03T18:26:00.003-04:00

"Never let a mistake get in the way of a relationship." President Monson

"The Book of Mormon is the best guide of how we are doing and how we can improve. " President Eyring

"You sure were able to keep your testimony. The testimony kept me." Barbara Thompson

"Are these all yours or is it a picnic?"
"They're all mine and it's no picnic." Neil L. Andersen------I love this one!

"In family relationships LOVE is really spelled TIME." Ian S. Arden

"Let us be as quick to kneel as we are to text." Ian S. Arden

"We must look up and step up." Carl B. Cook

"Repentance means striving to change." D. Todd Christoffersen

And my personal favorite- "Wait on the Lord." Robert D. Hales

Conference was wonderfully refreshing! I loved it!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Oh, Happy Day!

2011-09-29T15:43:00.004-04:00

My day got better and better yesterday. Josh bought me flowers and chocolate, I talked my sister in Japan on Skype and we had a great meal with the missionaries for dinner. Today has been even better! I went swimming, ran errands at the post office, went for a walk while chatting with Larissa and went to the library. Thanks to those who reached out and helped me feel of their love. My day also made me realize how different a life I lead now that all 4 of my children are in school.

Top Ten Reasons to Love Life While Your Kiddos Are in School

1. Going to the library and spending as long as you want browsing in the ADULT section. No tugging at the pant leg, no twins setting off the fire alarm (yes, that did happen) and no children running away getting lost. Hooray!

2. Talking on my cell phone while going for a walk in the middle of the day. No children realizing I'm on the phone and taking off to scare the neighbor's dog. No yelling for said children to come back here! Yes!

3. Stopping to get gas and hearing no groans, moans or c'mon, Mom! I gotta go potty!'s. Yay!

4. Coming home and eating a quiet lunch with my husband. Yum!

5. Sitting down and reading something I checked out from the library right away! Tada!

6. Paying bills while watching a show I want to watch- not Diego. Yipee!

7. Checking my e-mail, blog and other sites in complete silence! Yes!

8. Cleaning the house and having it stay clean for at least a couple of hours. Amazing!

9. Taking out the trash without small ones escaping and tracking grass all over. Yesss!

10. Last but not least, taking a nap whenever I may need to. Uh-huh!

Picking them up from school, and hearing all about their day and how much fun they had- or not? Priceless.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Grumpy Day!

2011-09-28T09:56:00.005-04:00

Ok. I probably shouldn't even being writing when I am this grumpy, but maybe it will make me feel better. I had a long night last night- filled with dream after dream. In one dream, a huge 30 foot wave was coming at me and I waited and waited for it to crash right on the top of my head. I woke up before it actually hit.

I think this means I am overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with the whole job situation. Overwhelmed that our money never seems to stretch as far I thought it would - that new and little things keep popping up that I never even anticipated. Overwhelmed with four little school schedules and homework that each need my complete attention for 30 minutes a day- all while I'm trying to get dinner ready.

Aahh! Just thinking about it makes me stressed. And I've realized that while I used to handle all that kind of stress before and love it. Ok, maybe totally love it. My bipolar does not like it. One bit. It stresses too and flares up like no ones business. It makes me want to go on a shopping spree to Down East Outfitters and finally buy that one cute top. Even though I've hit my budget. And past it.

It makes me what to lay in bed and just look at the ceiling fan and hope that the wave doesn't come crashing down on me again at 3:30 pm.

BUT, I have learned that if I sit and be passive, that won't help. So, here I am. Blogging. I need to see a therapist and talk it all out, but it's not doable. So, Mr. Therapist Blog, that's how I'm feeling today on this Wednesday morning.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Kristen and Christopher visit!

2011-09-27T11:55:00.000-04:00

For Family Home Evening last Monday, we went out to eat at Cafe Rio and then to the Mesa Temple and it's Visitors Center. You'll have to ask Kristen and Christopher if Cafe Rio was as good as they say. The Temple was gorgeous at night and a bride and groom were getting their pictures taken there. The Visitor Center has some really cool visiting artwork that is just gorgeous. We live close to such really neat places! It was so fun! Can't wait until we see you guys again!

Our 1st Trip hiking in AZ

2011-09-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

This is what I got when I told the kids to smile. Fun, huh? It was also pretty sunny!

Up on top. The funky looking mountains behind us are the Superstition Mtns.
Pretty cool, huh?

What you can see when I zoom in with my big camera. The houses are really close here!

We love hiking and it is one of our favorite things to do as a family. We did it a lot in Maryland so when, a couple of Saturdays ago, we told the kids we were going hiking they were baffled. Hiking? Where is the forest? Where are the trees?

We told them that we would be doing a different kind of hiking. Hiking in the desert. Up a mountain. We got up that morning, ate breakfast, got dressed and were out the door by 7:30 am. By 8 am we were there and while it was still cool, you could tell it was heating up. The kids loved it- practically running up the mountain and checking out cool new plants. Elizabeth got upset because Ethan was ahead of her, and Josh splashed her with water to get her into the fun of it all. She laughed and chased him. A good time was had by all!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Into the Desert

2011-09-24T16:24:00.002-04:00

Into the Desert
Sept. 15, 2011

As the car,
Laden heavily w/ hope
Children, luggage
And boxes
Crossed the State Line
And into this
Arid land we now
Call home,
The future
Beckoned and
The bright sun
Settled in for the night.
We were in the desert
And I had
Returned home.

Mildly Manic

2011-09-21T23:19:00.007-04:00

Since the move, I've been mildly manic. I've lost sleep while packing and at hotels- getting the kids to bed and then when we got here- unpacking and shopping to get the house set up and organized. It's been a little hectic.

There are 5 things that I need to do to manage the symptoms of bipolar disorder.

1. Get enough sleep. That is hard to do when you move across the country!

2. Get regular exercise. That is also hard to do when you are packing, then traveling and then setting up house. I got a 3 week free pass to a gym 4 minutes away from here and just today I signed up for the year. It always feels fantastic after I run (or walk if my back is injured). Someone once said that 30 minutes of exercise is like one prozac. I don't know who said it, but I'm pretty sure it's true!

3. Eat healthy. The weeks we were packing and then traveling across the country I didn't do so well. I got really tired of the fast food on the road and couldn't take it anymore. I unpacked the kitchen as soon as I was ready and tried to have a good meal as soon as possible. I've been doing well since then- whole fruit smoothies (when I have frozen bananas), sandwiches stacked with lettuce and tomato, meat and cheese and fresh fruit. It's amazing how my body just craves juicy things like grapes and apples when we live in the Sonoran Desert- or any desert for that matter! I also have to drink a lot of water because lithium effects the way your kidney's salt intake.

4. Take time to talk to someone. I need to express myself- my thoughts and worries to others- be it a counselor, a friend or family member. Josh has been been home more lately so it's been wonderful to have him around (amazingly great for our relationship actually) but I need to talk to people more. Mom, call me! Or, wait- I'll call you! :) Feel free to call me anytime. You won't be interrupting anything. Really. Unless it's between the hours of 2:30 pm and 8 pm. The shift when 4 kids need snacks, attention, help with homework, love, help with chores, books, dinner and getting ready for bedtime. Phew. Makes me tired just thinking of it all!

5. My medicine. Currently I take 900 mg of lithium. 300 mg in the morning and 600 at night. I split it up because if I take all 3 300 mg pills at night then I don't dream. At all. Freaky huh? I actually like to dream, so awhile ago I spoke to my Dr. and we switched it up a bit. I love lithium. It helps me feel better. It doesn't take all of the symptoms away. I still get slightly manic and slightly depressed, but not a lot. Not unmanageable. Recently I tried tapering off my medicine. This left me mildly manic. That's not so good. Every time I do go off my medicine I just get manic though and not depressed, which is good. It starts off mild and then gets worse and worse until I am only sleeping 4 hours a night and I interrupt people often and my thoughts are going 100 miles an hour. And for those of you who have read my blog for a while- you have seen what happens to it. Spelling errors fill the lines and thoughts are random and scrambled. Like someone had taken a blender, put in my thoughts and pushed the mix button!

I need to remember that I do have bipolar disorder and that I do need to treat it with respect and not treat it lightly. Two and a half years ago I was at the hospital for 6 hrs a day for outpatient care for 2 weeks and then 3 hours for 1 week. I am grateful that I am not that manic and don't want to get to that point again. I came away taking a medicine that turned me into a potato head for a while. And I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for the point in my recovery that I am at now. And for my family and friends that understand me. And support me.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Visitors!

2011-09-19T05:45:00.002-04:00

our forever family

We have visitors! We are so excited to have Josh's older sister Kristen and her oldest son Christopher here with us in Arizona for a few days. They arrived Saturday evening and will leave Wednesday morning. Christopher has won a scholarship to a school in Phoenix that specializes in motorcycle and vehicle repairs (I think they do both). He won best in the State of California in motorcycle repair and third in the Nation! Amazing! He is coming here in June and we are excited to be here as well!

We've been staying up late talking, eating cookies, laughing, going to Church and celebrating Elizabeth's birthday. They are our first house guests and we love it! It has cooled down enough that we were able to go for a walk outside! Hooray!

Kristen has asked us- what is so neat about living here? I think being here a few days, along with a Cafe Rio burrito will help her see why we love it here. Have I mentioned? I love it here!

At Church today, Kristen and Christopher noticed that many people were giving one man in our ward lots of long, strong hugs. I had been practicing with the choir and arrived late, so I hadn't noticed. Then we found out that a son of a counselor in our Bishopric passed away last night at the age of 43 from Lou Gehrig's disease. He had 4 children and was diagnosed 5 years ago. We are new to the ward, so we had never met him, but our Bishop gave a very stirring eulogy to him and many people were just in tears.

In Relief Society his Mother had been assigned to teach the lesson on the post-mortal world and she was there to give it. Amazing. They were in the Mesa temple in the Celestial room the day before when they were passed a note that their son had stopped breathing and they were doing CPR and taking him to the hospital. They rushed back and found him on life support. In the temple, she had prayed for him to be allowed to come home and she realized that was the same time he had stopped breathing.

Everyone was just crying. They passed boxes of kleenex around and it was so touching. Her love for him and knowledge that he was happy now- healthy and in a good place with loved ones. I was amazed that she could teach that lesson less than 11 hours after her son had passed away. And it made me stop. Stop and think. Who will be there to greet me when I die? When death from this life is a birth into another. Charlotte. Grandma Beverly. Grandpa Wight. Baby Rose? Friends and family I don't remember.

I am so grateful for the knowledge I have that there is life after death. That through the Resurrection of Christ, we will all be resurrected and live again with our families and those we love forever. We are so blessed in the things that matter most. Amazing.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Elizabeth is 9!

2011-09-17T09:20:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth! This year just flew by. Can it be September 17th already? Here are 17 little known facts about Elizabeth Renee Abbott as she turns nine:

1. She asked for a desert themed birthday cake this year.

2. She shares a birthday with her friend Miranda from Maryland and is less than a day younger than her cousin Paul Larsen.

3. She loves to write notes and letters to people, although most of them never get finished or given. As of today she has one note in her backpack, one on her dresser and one she's planning to write.

4. Elizabeth has a penpal who lives in Texas named Bethany.

5. Elizabeth and Josh get along quite well. He gets her and because of that he does most of her problem solving and pep talks.

6. Elizabeth LOVES to dance. She is often found in her room dancing to music in her head. She relates her happiest moments to ones where music was playing.

7. One of those happiest moments was her first-ever Activity Days and she was driving in the car with her friends Mary and Madison and the sun was setting and a fun song was playing.

8. The other happiest moment(as she told me) was when she was at a swim team meet and they played the song "Baby, you're a firework." She just danced and danced in her swimsuit on the deck. Memorable.

9. She really cares about other people and tries to help them feel better.

10. She really wants a sister to play with. We recently got a baby snake and when we found out it was a girl, she said "finally!"

11. She is a good helper around the house and can usually step in when my hands are full.

12. She is named after her Grandma Betty- my Dad's Mother and after Grandmother Renee- Josh's Grandmother.

13. She likes to swim.

14. She loves to draw (but doesn't do it often enough).

15. She likes Arizona.

16. She likes to do active things- hiking, walking, riding her bike.

17. She is the sweetest daughter anyone could ask for and I love her more than the world!

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth. This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

I love to blog!

2011-09-16T12:09:00.003-04:00

I don't know what it is! I love to sit down at the computer and go clackety-clack and see my words appear before me on the screen. It's beautiful. It's lovely. I love it.

Latest happenings in our household-

I threw out my back last night. 3 weeks ago, when we were moving boxes, I injured my back and I thought it had gotten better. Last night I took out the trash and when I bent down to pick up the bag to throw it in, my back froze. I was paralyzed for a second there. I yelled and freaked Jonah out. I told him to get Josh. Thank goodness he was home!

I was able to move after a few seconds and went in and laid down. I laid there for 3 hours. Josh made dinner, cleaned up dinner (with the help of the kids), put them to bed and then I got a blessing. That really helped. Oh, we also called Dave- our brother in law who is a PA- and got lots of helpful hints and ideas. It's so nice to have a PA (and a Dr.) for our brother in laws!!!

I was able to get up into bed and we iced it. I woke up in pain and cried. Then read Unbroken for several hours.

It's amazing how I had never appreciated the use of my back before. Ever.

Now, this morning, I can move! I can get up, go to the bathroom, give my kids hugs (smallish ones) and sit up. I have never been so thankful for a working back in all my life.

I am thankful.

I am blessed.

And I can go to the bathroom without any assistance at all.

My name is Megan Abbott.

-Funny kid happening: Asher got student of the week and I was helping him fill out a sheet of his favorites. I asked him what his favorite color was- green. And then what he loved: he said YOU! What a cutie!

Our Snake Sadie!

2011-09-15T14:11:00.001-04:00

photos by Josh

Six months ago we decided that we wanted a pet. Besides a fish. Yes, it takes our family that long to decide about things like this. We googled good pets for kids and it came up with a snake as being one of the top best pets for kids. You don't have to walk them, clean up after them too much or feed them very often. I was hesitant though. When we came out to Arizona and saw the many, many snakes my cousin is raising we got excited! If Zack could do it, we could do it too! When we came back, we promised the kids they could get a snake once we got to Arizona.

And thus, last Saturday found us at a small Arizona reptile store with Zack, searching for the best snake for us. And we found her- a 2-3 month old female corn snake. She's adorable. I was slightly nervous and still am. But I'll get used to it. And the kids love her. They love to check on her and see where she's hiding (she's very creative) and hold her too. So fun!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

More Labor Day Pictures.

2011-09-14T07:00:00.003-04:00

Asher, Mitchell and Shayla

My Dad wrestling with the boys- a favorite pastime of his!

All the cousins there- 9 out of 16: Elizabeth, Ethan, Jonah, Asher, Shayla, Kalea, Mitchell, Isaiah and Dax.

A family pose: Asher, Jonah, Ethan, Elizabeth and us

What a fun 3 day weekend! This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

I am a Mormon!

2011-09-13T08:09:00.003-04:00

There is a new media initiative going on for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They are picking 10 really big (not the biggest) markets and doing a media spritz that includes bill boards and 30 second commercials on prime tv show channels such as abc, fox, etc. It will also include ads online, including facebook and other webpages- all advertising mormon.org. On mormon.org, people can find more about the Church. They can read profiles of members of the Church. They can also chat with live representatives of the Church and even find out when and where they can go to Church. It is amazing!

The intiative starts in October intensely for two weeks and tapers off, running until March 2012. It doesn't have anything to do with the 2012 Presidential Campaign. They are running it in Phoenix, along with NYC, St. Louis Missouri and other cities. Everyone in our Stake has been asked by Church headquarters to create a profile. I have, but I need to edit the photo on there (think self portrait!) You can find it by going to mormon.org, plugging in Megan and bipolar (why did I focus on that when making it a year ago?) And check it out. Then let me know what you think.

My name is Megan and I am a Mormon.

Where were you then?

2011-09-09T17:02:00.007-04:00

Where were you on September 11th, 2001? Were you in a class in college? High school? Elementary schoool? Preschool? Were you at work? At home? At the gym? When that horrible morning, many, many lives were lost.

I had just recently been married (for a month) and was driving up the Point of the Mountain to teach my new third grade class when the announcer on the radio solemnly stated that a plane had crashed into the first trade tower. I wasn't sure what was going on. Was it a joke? Usually planes don't crash into buildings. Almost never. By the time I got to Southland Elementary school the second plane had hit and tvs were turned on throughout the school. No one knew what was going on. And life was different.

Here, in Gilbert, most of the schools celebrated the 10th anniversary of 9-11. In Memory of those who died. More than 300 firefighters died trying to save those in the towers. Policeman also died in the service of their jobs. It was amazing. And we will never forget. We will never forget what happened. We will never forget the lives that were lost. And we will try to be better and do better because of it.

I love...

2011-09-08T08:23:00.005-04:00

My Mom asked what my gift was that I sent out for my celebration post- it was rice krispies made out of one of my new favs-

Caramel/Vanillla marshmallows! I normally add a little vanilla but when I used these marshmallows I didn't have to! They are completely heavenly and I adore them! I ate them one at a time, but then had to use them all up so I wouldn't be tempted any longer. Our local Super Walmart actually has a section of an aisle dedicated to marshmallows. There are mini chocolate and mint marshmallows- perfect for a cup of Stephens Hot Cocoa (in December here). There are bags of chocolate coated mini marshmallows and even marshmallow shaped fruit. Josh and I were gaping in the aisle at so many different varieties. Only in America, we chimed!

I also topped it with another of my favorties- candy corn pumpkins!! I buy a bag when I first see them out for the season- which was 2 weeks ago!- eat them slowly and share them sometimes. I ate five in one sitting and Josh can barely eat one. What can I say? I have a super sweet tooth!!

Old Navy Halloween Costumes! I got the boys Frog Halloween costumes from etsy one year and they wore them for 3 years straight (well, just Jonah wore it the 3rd yr). I love, love, love them! They are cute, sturdy, did I mention cute? And since they only go up to size 4t/5t- if I want Asher to wear one, this will be the last year he can! What do you think? Would he go for being a hamburger, or is that not boyish enough?

This is my blog. My name is Megan A.

ps- here in Arizona, if I try to blog at my normal time (1 pm or 2 pm), blogger takes forever to upload any pics. In Maryland I never had a problem. At 5:30 am though, it seems to be doing fine. I wonder what other time would work.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-05T21:04:00.006-04:00

One of the MAIN reasosn we moved to Arizona was to be closer to family. So, when I saw a 3 day weekend open up on the calendar- thank you, Labor Day!- I seized the day and amidst boxes half unpacked, we packed up again and drove a mere 6 hrs to Glendora, California to stay with my sweet Grandmother Betty (who Elizabeth is named after). We were also able to see my adorable Parents and my sister Larissa and brother Tommy and their families as well, whom we saw last summer.

The drive was unbelievably quick and easy- we're already talking of a Thanksgiving visit- and we made it in 6 hrs even (including 3 potty stops). We left after lunch and got there in time for a late dinner. Grandma is a wonderful cook and spoiled us with great food and ice cream after every meal. A return to exercise is definitely needed! Saturday we decided to hit the beach (it had been a year since we had visited it's sandy shores). We chose to go to Santa Monica beach- not the best choice, but fun anyways. Upon arrival, Josh ran into a co-worker from Wiley Rein in D.C. and was shocked at how small a world this is.

On Sunday we went to Church with the Glendora 1st Ward and Josh met a friend from BYU law school as well- amazing. It's little things like that, that let me know that Heavenly Father knows who we are, where we are, what we need and where we are going.

We walked home to my Grandma's house and the family flowed into the door. My sister Larissa came with her two little chicks: Shayla, age 4- a burst of yellow sunshine and energy, just what Larissa was like growing up and Mitchell, age 18 months- more timid yet playful and full of fun. My brother Tommy (or Thomas as his wife would prefer) and his wife Christine came with their kids Kalea- 6 now and oh so much older, Isaiah- who with his dark brown eyes and 4 years of age towers above our 5 yr old Asher, and Dax, aged 18 months as well and just as busy as a little boy can be. We ate a very big lunch and played until the sun went down.

Monday morning we set off for home, stopping 3 quick times for a potty break in the amazingly hot Arizona heat. Wow!

We haven't lived here long enough for it to feel like coming home- but I can already tell, Arizona has a part of my heart.

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

More pics to follow as blogger is giving me problems!

Be Thou Humble

2011-09-02T06:06:00.009-04:00

Be thou humble in thy weakness, and the Lord thy God shall lead thee,

Shall lead thee by the hand and give thee answer to thy prayers.

Be thou humble in thy pleading, and the Lord thy God shall bless thee,

Shall bless thee with a sweet and calm assurance that he cares.

Sometimes I have a hard time being a Mother. Not all the time. Just sometimes. And it is on those days that I really see my Heavenly Father's hand in my life- supporting and guiding me, comforting and teaching me. He is my companion. My greatest fan. The one source of truth I can turn to when I need direction in how to Mother my four beautiful children.

Be thou humble in thy calling, and the Lord thy God shall teach thee

To serve his children gladly with a pure and gentle love.

Be thou humble in thy longing, and the Lord thy God shall take thee,

Shall take thee home at last to ever dwell with him above.

I LOVE being a Mother. It is one of the greatest blessings in my life. There was a time in my life when I didn't feel this way- my daily struggles were just too great- but I do now. Oh, how I do. And I rejoice in the beauty of it all.

This is my blog. My name is Megan A.

-pictures all taken from 2007

What is your favorite?

2011-09-01T15:34:00.008-04:00

Guess what my favorite cereal is now? Fruit Loops with Marshmallows! I know, right??? What more could be better than adding marshmallows to the sugary goodness that is Fruit Loops? Actually Fruit Loops is my all time favorite sugar cereal. In our home growing up we always got to pick our favorite breakfast for our birthday. I always picked Fruit Loops. We never really got name brand cereal (at least when I was growing up) so Fruit Loops was always a treat. Of course, Frankenberry and Reeses Peanut Butter Puffs are also high on the list (Halloween flavored cereal and candy cereal- yes, please!).

I bought this box for the kids to make necklaces out of it, so of course they picked out the marshmallows and ate them while they were making the necklaces and I say go for it!!! I couldn't bear to eat it in the morning, but I did have some for a snack (I had to save a bowl- mind you) and it was actually pretty good! A great dessert!

And there you have it- a blog about breakfast cereal. Who would have thought?

What are your favorite breakfast cereals/breakfasts? Truthfully, mine is frosted mini wheats. The perfect blend of sweet with a little bit of staying power!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Want to know what my living room looks in Arizona? Here ya go- complete with boxes and such-(and a dish, which isn't ours!)

Life on our toes

2011-08-31T16:00:00.006-04:00

via Pioneer Woman

Josh and I have been going things together so much lately and I have LOVED it! We went to the gym together- for the first time ever- this morning and I learned that he likes to take his time and stretch whereas I like to do my set of 5 or so stretches and get outta there!

We went shopping together at the Mall and bought a weed whacker and some clothes. He let me buy Sees chocolates and we had to eat them fast before they melted in the crazy heat! I learned that I like creams and he likes nuts and chews.

We also visited one of our favorite places- the animal store: that mostly has very expensive, cute puppies and then we drooled over their cute little faces. My favorite is a mix between a pug and a dachshund. He is sooo adorable! Then We passed by the photo booth since it was too pricey and set a goal to do it next time!

I have loved spending this time with Josh. 1/2 of me hopes he never finds a job. The other 1/2 hopes he finds a job pretty quickly. Life. It keeps you on your toes!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Happy 1,000th!

2011-08-30T17:31:00.004-04:00

My Parents were married in the Mesa, AZ Temple 35 years ago and Josh and I went for the first time last Friday. We went while the kids were in school and I was just thrilled to go! What a special day! I think May was a lot better time to get married than August! Phew!

I've been a little hesitant to write this blog post today. Somehow I think that if I write it, I will break my streak and never post again. Hopefully that won't happen. Even if we never replace our computer table that we left in Maryland!

The winner of my 1,000 post give away is Michelle!! Congratulations! Michelle, e-mail me your address at joshmeganabbott at hotmail dot com and I'll get it out to you!

Thank you to all who read my blog. The comments that people have left me when times have been hard have often made me smile with joy and have literally made my day. It's amazing what one little small thing can do for a person.

Happy blogging and Happy September/Labor Day coming up!!! Where did August go???

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Love it...

2011-08-29T16:29:00.003-04:00

Asher from one of my earlier blog posts!

It's been a while since I did an I love post. So here ya go!

Deals to Meals.com. This website compiles 10-12 grocery stores deals onto one sheet and it can then be used to price match at your local Wal-mart. I had heard about this before, but never lived in one of the states that they do it for (they do 12 Western states). I just signed up for their free 2 week trial and am excited to go and save some money!!!

All Recipes.com. I've been getting a new recipe each day through e-mail and I love it! Even if I don't try out the recipe, I love to get ideas- Flank Steak with Red Peppers, BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, Carmel Apples. Yum!

brettandcandace.blogspot.com. This is a cute blog about a couple who has adopted a boy and is trying to adopt again. They have marvelous music too, which always gets extra blog points!!!

Have you noticed that Halloween things are out already? Jonah said the other day- "I can't wait until October!" and I said "me too!!" Mostly because of the heat. On Friday it hit 117 in Phoenix. The hottest it's ever been in August in Phoenix ever. Our air conditioner died upstairs on Saturday so luckily we have an extra bedroom downstairs to keep cool in.

I got a free 3 week pass to our local gym- a 2 minute drive from here- and actually worked out for the first time in um, weeks? It felt amazing and I realized why I pay for a gym membership. I'm still deciding between that gym- a very air conditioned place complete with personal tvs and classes and the local Y that has a very small pool for the kids to use. Swimming for the kids? Nice gym for Mom? What do I do? We may be realizing that we have to own a pool if we live here. Arizona is the hottest place I have ever been in. Ever. It does not cool down in the summer. At all. A kind friend on facebook reminded me that I am not in the Middle East. It's true- the Middle East does get hotter than this. Thank goodness for air conditioning!!!!

And finally, one last bit of news- this is my 999th blog post!!!! I am thrilled to have been blogging for this long (about 5 yrs- since 2006- when Asher was a baby and 2007 on this blog.) I am doing a give away- a Homemade Goody Bag- complete with treats straight from my kitchen. Feel free to leave a comment and I will enter you in my Yay-I've-done-1,000-blog-posts Give Away! And I will ship it off to you by the end of this week!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

You never know...

2011-08-27T23:46:00.005-04:00

a picture from 71toes

who'll you run into.

Guess who I saw today? Shawni from 71toes.blogspot.com. A Mother of 5 who lives in Gilbert and a daughter of the Eyres, she teaches Power of Mom Seminars and has won the Young Mother of the Year Award. Oh, yeah...and she is in my Stake at Church! I went to pick up Elizabeth from a Stake Activity Days Girls Activity (which was super cute) this morning and who pulled up close to me in the long row of SUVs (?) but a super tall and dark headed lady carrying a camera bag. I knew it was her, but I didn't say anything as she booked it inside and soon we were all surrounded by tons and tons of 8-11 year old girls. Um. Yeah. Wow. Amazing!

And now I know she is in my Stake and I'm sure we'll meet again!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Our Cross-Country Trip, Part 4- New Mexico and AZ!

2011-08-26T06:18:00.001-04:00

Scenes from a rest stop in New Mexico. Here's Asher with a Native American chief! It was quite sunny!

Bathrooms at the rest stop as well- or maybe it was a souvenir shop!

We saw a lot of sky and land as we traveled from Oklahoma and New Mexico on that Friday.

Picture done by Josh. He likes to steal my camera and play around with it a little. He takes wonderful pictures!

Home Sweet Home! Us in front of our rental home. It was built in 2006 and is a lovely 4 bed, 3 bath. Like I said before the extra bed and full bath is downstairs, so if anyone wants to come visit let us know!!!

Our Cross-Country Trip, Part 3- Oklahoma!

2011-08-25T07:00:00.001-04:00

The skies in Oklahoma are drop dead gorgeous!

On Tuesday night we stayed with Jen and Uche in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. They have a beautiful home and we so enjoyed visiting with them! We wish we could have stayed longer! We went swimming, visited the Conoco Philips Museum and went out to eat, plus ice cream! It was so nice and refreshing to take a break from the road and visit for a while.

Josh did most of the driving while I gave him a one to two hour break each day. Thanks, Babe!

The kids loved the two hotels we stayed in!

The 2 must haves for hotels with kids are 1. A hot breakfast and 2. a pool. The kids loved being able to swim at night and we loved that they got the needed exercise. One time I sent Josh with the kids to the pool and enjoyed a nice bath in the hotel room all by myself. Being in a car for 8 hrs a day with a lot of noise can be stressful! Then, we enjoyed hot waffles in the morning with the current news on tv. Oh, and we love free cable! Fun times!

At a dinner stop in New Mexico. The kids just had to see these prickly pear cacti close up! Ethan has his eyes closed- it's so bright!

This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

ps- look for our part 2 in the previous post!

Our Cross-Country Trip, Part 2

2011-08-24T23:28:00.010-04:00

On Monday night, we arrived at Molly and Doug's home in St. Louis, Missouri. This is the first time we have visited her in St. Louis and a bucket list item checked. She has a lovely home and a sweet, sweet family. We stayed the night and went to a children's museum called The Magic House the next day. The kids had a blast and I had fun taking some pictures. We left early the next day, on the road again.

This is blurry, but cute! Elizabeth and Anna playing a game on the phone.

Fun, fun Christian in the Bubble Room. The bubble had just popped!

All the kids. A bit blurry.

Sweet Baby Peter. He is such a doll. I loved, loved, loved holding him. What a sweet baby! He really has brought a lot of joy to the Larsen household!

Paul waving hi.

Anna is growing bigger and bigger. She is a sweet, helpful girl.

Charlotte- I love how there are pictures of Charlotte in each and every room. Her Spirit filled each corner of the home. We miss her!

This is my blog. My name is Megan A.

On a greyer note...

2011-08-23T07:00:00.000-04:00

In a way, Joseph adopted Jesus.

I injured my back on Saturday lifting some heavy boxes, so I have been immobilized today. This is good and bad. Good because it forces me to take a break and rest some- to think and to get organized. Bad because I am in pain and I can't get done any of the things that I wanted to get done today.

While Josh was off at the bank setting up our new bank accounts, I tried to be a little more productive and went online. I blogged about our trip (see future posts), I updated my goodreads (nice to see you again, my friend!), I sent messages on facebook and guess what else I did? I looked seriously into adoption.

It was scary, but I did it. I called up our nearest LDS family services and asked them point blank if a Mother of 4 with Bipolar Disorder such as myself was eligible for adoption through their agency. The very friendly lady on the other end informed me that once someone has 3 kids they can no longer use LDS family services. I didn't know that. I felt a door had been closed that could always possibly be open for us.

So I researched other adoption agencies that had a good reputation. It costs $17,000- $30,000 to adopt. Wow. That's all I can say. I knew it cost a lot to adopt. But not that much. It is cheaper to adopt children with disabilities but sometimes that is not an option.

If Heavenly Father wants us to adopt, He will provide the way. If we find someone we know who wants to place, without going thru an agency, it would be about $10,000- which is a little more doable. So, if you know of anyone who knows anyone who is thinking about placing their baby for adoption, let me know.

On a lighter note- You know it's HOT when-

The ice inside the freezer door melts together. 115 degrees here today and tomorrow, baby. No cool spell for us! No one has thermometers outside their window here like we did in Maryland. No one wants to see 115, that is unless you are driving in your car!

Lots of love, Megan

Another round of "You know it's HOT when..."

2011-08-22T06:33:00.002-04:00

You know it's HOT when...

-Your touch cell phone sticks almost completely to the side of your face.

-You run your laundry on a cold/cold cyle and the clothes come out warm.

-You can fill up the kiddie pool w/ warm water right away.

- You've almost always been able to run while wearing your garments and now there's no way.

This is my blog. My name is Megan A.

p.s.- psst...Did you hear? Nie Nie- one of my favorite bloggers who survived a plane crash with 80% of her body burned- is pregnant with baby #5. I am thrilled! Mostly for her and her family and partly because it shows me there is still hope in this world. And I need some hope in my life right now!

On Mothering

2011-08-21T06:34:00.002-04:00

Artwork by Elizabeth Abbott, 3rd grade

I had a bad Mothering moment yesterday. Josh had been really busy for the past two days, so I had been doing most, ok- all of the child care- and when he was done, I let him take a long, long nap. I napped too, since I didn't sleep well last night, and when I woke up boy, was I grumpy. I had a snack and tried to wake myself up. The kids had been watching tv- something they have been doing a lot lately with temps over 105 degrees and me unpacking boxes- so when they saw me, they were starved for attention. "What can we do now Mom?" Ethan questioned and questioned. I tried the "Watch tv" again. No luck. They had a snack. And another snack of homemade Popsicle. I tried to have some quiet alone time while I woke up. No go.

I was on the computer and Elizabeth was bouncing on a huge green ball next to me just chatting and chatting. Ethan had just knocked the ball into a lamp and the bouncing was making me tense. She mentioned she just had two granola bars and somehow that made me upset. I remembered the homework she was working on and asked her to show it to me. She did and it was written in pen, with words added here and there and some scratched out. This was her first big assignment at her new school.

The perfectionist in me just freaked out. I freaked out. I was seeing red. I yelled. All because of a granola bar and a homework assignment written in pen. I apologized, tried to wake up Josh and gave myself a time out. When I was calm, I came downstairs and told Elizabeth how much I loved her and how sorry I was.

And then I picked up her homework and read it. Actually read it this time. It was beautiful and touching. She was supposed to make a doll of herself and write a paragraph describing herself. I have a beautiful daughter. She wrote that she loves music (really, she does! I often catch her dancing in her underwear in her room) and that she "loves her Moms cooking and having fun with her brothers." My heart just melted. I am proud to be her Mom.

And hopefully next time, I will show more patience. I will look beyond the spelling errors and the incorrect grammar and see into the sweet heart of this child of mine. How blessed I am to be a Mother and to have this sweet girl in my life. Thank you, Elizabeth, for being so willing to forgive me. I love you!

This is my blog. My name is Megan A.