The summer break that was too short.

Jake started his internship today at Harvey & Company LLC in Newport Beach, an investments and acquisitions company that deals mostly with private equity. I don't really know much about any of that but Jake is really excited about it! He's there T/W/TH of every week and it's a long commute and on top of the internship he's taking summer classes for his MBA in accounting and/or finance Tues and Thurs nights in Irvine. He switched to the Irvine campus for the summer because it's close to Newport Beach and he can go straight from Harvey & Co to class on those two nights.  Needless to say the weekends will be a treasured time for our family once again.

His internship is not paid this summer but could lead to a paid one next year. So for now I'll keep up with my slingin' ways and bring in some money any way I can! We always find ways though and feel very blessed by the Lord for that. We've been able to always do fun things as a family and enjoy little treats here and there. One thing's for sure is that I've gotten really good at finding deals! We have some traveling plans for this summer that include a jaunt up to Utah over 4th of July and my 10 year HS reunion in WA during August.

I'm so excited for summertime and can't wait for Cooper to get out of school!!! I like having my kids all day and have plans for lots of things for us to do together. Last week we took a spur of the moment outing to a splash park in Moreno Valley, about 20 or 30 minutes away. I'd been there once before but plan on going a few more times over the summer. Here are a few pictures from that day.

I just love her pretty face.

Mya (cooper's classmate that we babysit)

Cooper had a rough start and didn't get to play till the last 20 minutes or so. That boy can be so feisty sometimes.

waiting for the water buckets to dump

Jack climbing

This park has a sign that CLEARLY states that it's made for ages 2-12. Any kid's foot age 2-8 could easily fall through the bridge, design flaw!

She finally realized it was fun to run through the sprayers and get wet.

Cooper and Cameron (Mya's brother, who we also babysit)

Two pins, one stone and good news.

There are two pinterest projects I've had on my mind and I combined them into one today. I've wanted to make this pallet art for some time but let's be real, it's not gonna happen soon. I also wanted to do this project. So I put the quote from the pallet project onto the canvas one. Voila!

Bought the art at a thrift store for $2 and the vinyl letters at Target for $2.99. The paint I used was a left over sample size I had in my stash.

After putting the stickers where I wanted them I added some water to the paint to have a washed effect so I could still see some of the painting through.

I peeled the stickers after a few minutes (it dried quick out in the sun and probably quicker than straight paint because it had water in it). There was some mess to clean up so I grab some Q-tips then decided to use a wet washcloth.

Used the wet washcloth to rub away some of the paint and add texture to the edges of the painting.

This fine piece of art is going with all the others in the family room. It's a work in progress....Maybe I'll post a picture one day when I feel the time is right? whatever that means.

Also: my plants have started to bud this week(week2); peas, brussel sprouts and carrots. #Griffinthedog has been getting into the buckets a little here and a little there (DANG PUPPY!) but I think he's learning that's a big no-no. Time for more buckets and some new seeds in the next couple of weeks!

***Good news today, Jake's hard work pays off again; he just aced his mid-term for criminal law. When the professor started to talk about scores he said that this was the worst any of his classes had EVER done.

Over half failed, Jake got an A. WHAT A STUD!****

New Years Resolutions: This one paid off.

Two years ago I made the resolution to live in the present. Since the time we had both graduated from college in Dec 2007 life was full of unknowns. We were in and out of work for the next couple of years. Living paycheck to paycheck. Trying to be creative and save money (if there was ever even enough left over to save). Sound familiar to anyone? I was always looking forward to "next year".

This time next year we might have a solid career. 
This time next year maybe we'll be able to buy a house.
This time next year let's get a dog.
This time next year we'll have time to go on dates.

And on and on and on.

At the time of making this resolution I was a few months along pregnant with Adele. Jake and I both had landed new jobs. Things were looking good. We were going in a direction of settling down and living our happy, humble little life. Well you should know that when you make an honest resolution, it will be tested. That year felt good. I focused really hard on enjoying my life every day and trying to recognized the Lord's hand in our life every day. I was feeling happier and more positive about my life in general. We upgraded and bought a mini-van (my lifelong dream. NOT! but i love it now) Our sweet girl, Adele, was born. We took our first vacation as a little family that summer. We moved into a new house that fall.

Fast forward to the end of 2011 Jake was unexpectedly and abruptly laid off from work. He had been working there for just over a year. During that year we owned our own business which was going so-so. We were never "in the red" but because of lack of funding, finances and time it just never truly grew at a pace that we were comfortable with. As he was working with this company he was trying to make some career decisions for the future. Do we drop the businesses that we sacrificed literally everything for? Did we give it another unknown and doubted year in the economy we were in? He really started to get in to what he was doing at his other job but slowly started to feel vibes that he wasn't going to last there for whatever reason....(it all makes sense NOW, but not then) In late spring/early summer 2011 he started to be really prayerful about what was next for him and our family.  He started to throw out the idea of going back to school. I wasn't for it. We had two kids at the time and one on the way. We just bought car. He was at a job that he enjoyed with opportunity to learn.  I had a job that could help hold us over for a bit. And we were one year owners of two businesses with hopes to make a life out of it. NO WAY! I wasn't ready to just dump it all.

He came home from a church event for the men (a stake priesthood session) one night and I asked him what the topics were and what his impressions were. The first thing he told me was that they talked about continuing education. My first reaction was to resist the idea even more. But as he talked about the night, I felt in my heart that this is what he needed. What our family needed. We had lived the past couple of years with lots of insecurities. Hoping that something would work out. And holy cow did we learn and grow more than we had ever hoped for.

The following weeks were full of prayer for guidance for us. We made a trip to the temple, we fasted a couple of Sundays. Jake had made a decision in the direction of law school and was looking for a sign that going back to school was the right thing to do. One Sunday not too long after the search for answers began we were at church. Jake was walking down the hall and our Bishop (the priesthood leader in our ward we attended) called to Jake to come see him in his office. He sat Jake down to ask him if he'd thought about going back to school at all. Jake was surprised at this question and answered that in fact he had thought about it. A lot. The Bishop, a man Jake has a ton of respect for, then went on to say something to the effect that he thought Jake would make a good attorney, and so on. He felt in his heart that the decision he made was GOOD! He felt the love of the Lord surge through him to confirm this decision. That afternoon when we got home Jake told me our prayers had been answered. All he needed was a confirmation, in any form, and he had received it.

Well Jake started to prepare to take the LSAT, because honestly, you can't really get any further in law school life until that big test is over. Obviously we didn't know if he'd get in to law school at this point but it's the answer that we had received so Jake started to take the steps. We didn't tell anyone about it until the end of the year which is when the LSAT was scheduled. We were afraid he'd get tanked at work, which he did. When that actually happened though, we were hurt. We knew it might happen but never thought it would happen the way it did. We tried to move on as gracefully as we could and had a wonderful Christmas season with Jake home all the time. I was able to pick up more hours at work. We prayed daily for patience in the Lord's plan for us and for forgiveness in our hearts.

The first part of 2012 went by in a flash and before we knew it Jake had received scores for his LSAT, he had applied to numerous schools and we waited as rejection and acceptance letters trickled in. The excitement of being able to pick from more than a few schools started to settle in and we scoured the internet in search of the perfect fit for us. When we decided on Southern California it all came down to three schools. Two in San Diego and one in Ontario. As we went through the process of narrowing down our pros and cons it was as if we stood in front of one door at a time. As we prayed and pondered the door would open and we would clearly see the answer. Just beyond that was another door. Each decision was this way and I can see so clearly now (and towards the end) that Heavenly Father prepared us over the last few years for this experience. We learned to rely on Him and care for each other in a way that I will always be thankful for!!

I don't know how we make it without learning to live each day to the fullest. I can say without a doubt that I've learned to recognize daily blessings in my life. I'm a happier person for it. At a point where I thought maybe I was struggling with depression I made this resolution and feel so blessed for doing so. Of course I still have days where I struggle and forget to remember what this life is really about. I have shallow moments, judgmental moments, selfish moments. Ok....maybe even more than moments. But if I keep the lines of communication open with Heavenly Father I am reminded of what a blessed and joyful life I have.

One week down

Well we made it through our first official week of law school and kindergarten! Jake had a whole week of orientation/classes before the first real day of school but he and Cooper shared their first day. We made pancakes and took pictures (which I can't post because the card doesn't fit in the mac :/ ). Jake left shortly after me and the kids. It's nice that we have him in the morning to have breakfast with and read scriptures and pray together. Me and the kids walked Cooper to school every morning. It's about 2mi roundtrip. Can I just tell you that it is SO NICE being able to count on walking out your front door every morning into the sunshine!!! I love walking to school in the morning. Luckily Cooper got AM kindergarten and goes from 8am-1130am. Once Jack, Adele and I make it home we have a snack, work on stuff, play, Adele takes a nap and then we hop in the car to go pick Coop up. It's still too blazing hot to take the kids on a 2 mi walk right around noon. We probably walk both ways come fall. I love getting the workout and I think the kids enjoy being outside in the morning.

Every day that Cooper came home from school he was a little grumpier than the previous day. By Wednesday I had to force him to take a nap. Cooper has never been a napper but he NEEDED it. He came home everyday with stickers on his hands from being a good boy, so I think he's fine at school but by the time he gets home he just emotional and whining about everything!! We also spent a few afternoons swimming at our new friends pool with them. Another reason I love Cali. (You'll read that line a lot... just a warning.) Cooper never seems to be able to remember any kid's names or what he did at school but he is saying that he's having a lot of fun and there haven't been any tears about having to go to school. He's been excited every morning!

Jake has had quite the load so far. But considering all the horror stories we've heard I'm surprised how much time we've actually had with him. We were able to spend some of Tuesday evening with him. Also a good chunk of Saturday. I'm sure it won't be like that every week but he's been super great at working really hard every day and getting the most out of every hour he spends studying so that when he is home, he's HOME. He treats this like a full-time (and then some) job where he decides on a daily basis how long he needs to be at school so he's ready for the next few days.

Although I miss seeing him, I understand he has to be gone a lot. I feel very blessed with how smoothly me and the kids' transition has been into life without him around as much. Me especially. It was a big change going from working a lot and having him around a lot of the time and being able to run errands without kids where we're at now. I know it's a huge blessing living with our friends too. They help me so much every single day. Megan goes running with me in the evening and it's some awesome end of the day therapy! We have some good talks during that hour. Brandon comes home from 12-14 hour days and plays with the kids. They are some awesome friends. We had a nice weekend to gear up for the next week and I am ready for it!

This is my life now

Sad story. My camera is broken :(

A week ago we went to the alpine slide up at Big Bear Lake. I had my camera for that and forgot it on the table on the way out the door. We took some pictures on our phones but they just aren't the same. We had a minor accident on the slide...Jack and I slid off the sled on the slide (say that 5 times fast) and he got a small burn on his cheek and ear and I got a massive burn on my upper inner left arm along with a few other spots on my arm and one on my knee. It's been a rough week healing from it. Really rough: infection, tears, peeling off bad parts and stuck gauze... Tub full of blood one afternoon....I'll spare you.

This last Saturday was when the camera broke. We took the kids to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles for the day after I bought an amazing membership that I'm going to have to post about. EVERY FAMILY NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT IT! More on that later....

We got there, I took two pictures then it wouldn't zoom in or out or focus. What the heck!? So we took more pictures on our phones...But the museum was totally awesome. Just like the movie Night at the Museum. The boys loved the dinosaurs. Adele was terrorized by the stuffed polar bear. We hit up Red Robin on the way home and vegged out that night. All in all it was a great day as a family.

Jake started school yesterday. It was one of the first days in a LONG time of me by myself with the kids, ALL DAY. It went just like any other day pretty much. We did some chores, we played, we went to the grocery store, we cooked dinner, had FHE. But it was all without Jake. That will take some getting used to. There were actually a few moments during the day that I thought to myself, "This is my life now." A little daunting, a little stressful...but also a serene feeling. It's kind of hard to explain. It's like I have been given the blessing of being able to enjoy my children and slow down for a bit. Something I'm not used to and something that I'm going to have to work at. I really look forward to this time in my life though. I enjoyed the last bit but there are so many things I look forward too about being home all day and playing. All I can say is thank goodness for pinterest. I'm going to need creative ideas for things to keep us busy at home, and on a budget. If I find anything extraordinary, I'll letcha know!! Like this museum membership....tomorrow. My hubby just got home and it's my 30 minutes in his schedule for the day :)