Our Future Missionary!

Brittany went to the temple almost two weeks ago! Talk about a lame mom who doesn't blog enough....ugh! Anyway it was AMAZING! We met with the temple presidents wife (can't remember her name) she is the most amazing woman! She talked so great with Brittany, she explained things and put us both at ease a bit, I have now done this with three daughters and this was the most wonderful meeting ever. Going to the temple with your children is such an amazing experience. This is the first time I have gone to the temple with a child for something other than a wedding. It was MUCH more relaxing for me... :) These pictures were all taken a night...they are terrible...but here they are anyway.

She looks like a missionary doesn't she?

I am so grateful that Brittany is sealed to Jimmy and I. I am so grateful for my family and the relationships I have with each and everyone of them. Brittany is such a special girl, I am so glad Jimmy and the girls have loved and supported her throughout her whole life.
Amber left as soon as we went outside....must be the baby Noah at home that got her out of there so quick! Having all of my girls at the temple is something I can't even put into words...what great blessings, what great joy...awesome.
Here is most of the gang. It was just a small group of family and close friends that came to support her in this most amazing decision. It was wonderful! (Even if the photos are lame)

Brittany's Mission Call

My sweet baby girl was called to serve in the Brazil Londrina Mission. She will report to the Brazil Missionary Training Center on March 23, 2011. I just can't believe it!!!! It doesn't seem real. I am so very very happy, excited, proud, and on and on of her and the beautiful person she is. She is going to be an AMAZING missionary. Look how happy she is!!

Just as she was about the read the call she DROPPED the paper!!!! We all screamed!! In California and Utah! I didn't know how to react when she read her call....I wanted to hug her so so so so sooooo much but we are miles and miles apart. But now compared to how far apart we will soon be Provo seems like just a hop, skip and a jump away!
I love the picture below....look at the smile on her face. She is happy and she is doing what she is supposed to be doing!
This is as close as I got to her. Oh how I wish teleportation was possible (Ashlie and I talk of this often). I am so thankful to friends and family who came over last night to be apart of skyping her mission call. It was really hard to hear her. I am so thankful for all the people in Provo and here in Sacramento that supported her in this amazing experience. Not just this experience but throughout her life.
How amazing it is that so many people would be around her to celebrate this life changing moment. Life is good. The Gospel is GREAT. I am so grateful today I cannot even begin to put it into words. I am grateful...so very very grateful.

I included the picture below because I just LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Such a great shot!

When I look at this picture it seems like just yesterday I was trying so hard to keep this (giant) bow on her head for this picture and then I realize she leaves in a few month for her mission. She is an amazing person, she makes me a better person. I am who I am today partly because I was given the opportunity to be her mom. I love this girl more than I can explain and I know this is the Lord's plan for her, but I am still going to miss her.

After everyone left last night I went to the bathroom and cried. It felt good to just get it out. I am such a worry wart, every fear I could think of ran through my mind and I cried like a baby. I trust the Lord and know this is His plan and I am so grateful Brittany has chosen to serve a mission but for just a few minutes I fell apart. I'm ok now...it's going to be awesome, but look at that baby....that baby is going to Brazil!

My list of things to be grateful for is long these days...my cup is full, overflowing even. I love my family, my husband and each of my children. They are amazing, they teach me things daily (not that I want to learn them all :)).

Life...after becoming unemployed!

When we came home from Florida I knew I was coming home to being unemployed. I also knew I was going to stay home for awhile without working. I had mixed emotions about that to be honest. I like working part-time. Full-time would be hard to get the boys to all of the stuff they are involved in but part-time is great. I was uncomfortable the first day everyone went on there way and I was at home. I cleaned the stove for 2 or 3 hours....it was so clean and I felt like I had accomplished something. Anyway I have gotten into a grove and feel like I am making good use of my time as a stay at home mom. EXCEPT that I don't blog anymore!! Apparently I am a terrible worker....because I mostly blogged at work....so I am going to try to fix this issue and blog more often because I know you have all been sad without constant updates about me and my family! :) So here goes a few!!! We have a new beautiful grandson!!! His name is Noah James Eilmas. He was born on October 20, Aaron was hoping for the 22nd (his birthday) but I think it was close enough. Amber did a great job, she is such a kind, calm, easy going mother...which is to say she is the exact opposite of me....she is amazing. And Noah....well that boy is super sweet!!

The week before Noah was born we went to Apple Hill. Amber takes her family every year. I on the the other hand have never taken Jason and Aaron only once when he was really little. It was only a sort of fun day for me. Jason had a melt down....I made the joke that everything was made out of apples at Apple Hill. UGH! He was starving and melting down quickly and I asked him if he wanted nachos to eat (which he eats all the time...everywhere) and he said no and freaked out. Later I found out he didn't want to eat apple nachos....he thought they would be gross! The whole thing was out of hand...ask Amber or Derek or Aaron to give you the whole story...it's just to embarrassing to blog about. I love that Jason boy he is so much like me. Somtimes that is good...and sometimes that is bad.

Orlando = HOT

I have never been so HOT in my life. The cold water was even warm and the air was so thick it was....horrible. That being said we had a great time. Aaron's team didn't do as well as we would have hoped, but Aaron has a great tournament. He has a good attitude and was a great example to those boys. It's times like that when things aren't going great that I see the man Aaron will be...and it's good.

When we weren't playing baseball we were at one of the disney parks. It was a great and very tiring trip. I am off to education week today and I am really excited about it, I really came home filled up with all the right stuff last year and I really needed it. Sometimes you don't know how low your cup is until it's full again. PLUS I get to see and spend a week with my sweet baby BRITTANY!!!!

We got home from Orlando just in time for Abby's 2nd Birthday...can you believe she is TWO?? Here she is so so so pretty in the birthday dress grandpa and I bought her! I love this girl so much!

Orlando Here We Come!!!

We are leaving in the morning for Orlando! We are so excited!!! It's a long way to go to play baseball, but hopefully it will be worth it. We are spending sometime at Disney World as well. It's gonna be HOT I'm not gonna lie :) I have created a team blog for Aaron's team so click here to see it! I will update it everyday while I'm gone. Don't worry I know what you're thinking...why can't she update her blog when she's home...I have no really good solid answer for that :) Other than consistency is always a problem for me :) I can do anything for a couple of weeks. I hope you all will check in and leave some comments, I don't think the team knows how to do that :)

BOYS = BROKEN

The young women came over for a swim party on Tuesday and just before they started arriving I noticed this....It really got me thinking about all the broken things around my house. "NO ONE" did this...let me be clear....none of my children would ever let this happen. It's just a big surprise to all of us :)Katie Gibson and I got to talking about how I should blog about this...but there are so very many things I need to blog about so I just kinda thought I would save it for later.
"No one" broke this back board also.

Aaron does take credit for doing this to the house. But he says his dad should have caught the ball :)
Derek did this to the blinds :) He cleaned all my windows AND blinds while Jimmy and I were on the trek and surprised us when we got home...there was a little accident but the thought was so very sweet, I LOVE my son in law. Atleast "no one" didn't do this.
The bottom of this new light is just gone and the glass is all broken, I think Jason did this with a soccer ball. "No one" is off the hook for this one too!
Jason uses all the toilet paper roll holders as handles to get up....WHY??? But these next pictures are the ones that really made me realize I needed to blog about broken things!!! Last night Aaron came in to our room at 3:30AM to tell us the pipe/faucet out front was broken..."no one" was up to no good.
So we had to turn the water off. When Aaron woke up this morning I asked him how he could have known that the faucet pipe was broken....I was just praying he would tell the truth. He cracked a smile and told me he didn't know what I was talking about......
Then I saw his leg....how did that happen? He had a friend over and they thought it would be fun to jump the fence in the dark...only thing they weren't counting on....a faucet.
Boys=Broken. I wouldn't have it any other way! Life changes when you have boys, you have to learn to let things go and just laugh. I love my sons so so much and someday they will be grown and nothing will be broken and I will be sad. So Boys=Broken it will be :)

Why?.......

Every year when 4th of July fireworks are over I am so glad my husband still has his arms, legs, face, ears and on and on. I beg him every year not to do this anymore and every year they all beg him to do it (why do they want him to die). This year the excuse was Shawn has never seen the running man firework show....ugh! Why......is he so crazy!!!?????Also....girls camp was amazing and I have so so many things to blog about but this is the only photo I have on my computer, so it's all you get for now! But the BEST news of all is we are having a grandson!!!! It's that exciting, he will be here the beginning of November, I can't wait to kiss him :)

Believe It Or Not!

Any of you that read my blog know that I don't get hugs from my son anymore...it breaks my heart. I decided long ago never to make him feel guilty about it. If you look back through old posts I try to take pictures with him...nope not going to happen and hugs....no way! I remember when I thought this day would never come again. But here it is!!!!!!! In front of the whole ward! WOW! That was a welcome surprise! I almost didn't let go and then I thought to myself...he will NEVER hug you again unless you play it cool....so I did :)

Being a parent is hard work, when to push, when to pull, when to hold back...you get what I mean. I look at this picture and could almost cry every time I see it. Aaron is a great young man who makes great choices (mostly ;)) and loves his Heavenly Father, and gives me hugs!!

Why I love being the Laurel Advisor

My very very favorite thing to do with the youth is attend the temple. I love to wrap a towel around them as they come out of the font, I just want to hug them and squeeze them (I don't though) I love the look on their faces I love every single thing about being at the temple with the youth. They are in the house of the Lord and they are safe and they are doing work that must be done and what a blessing and privilege it is. They are so amazing! I love them.

And then there is my son....who I love and adore...who doesn't even want to take a picture with me. Ugh...maybe someday. :)

My Homework :)

Aaron had a big project due today in Geometry. First of all why is my 8th grader in Geometry??? Second of all I can't help them with homework anymore once they get to this level. I have blocked it all out, or forgot or maybe never learned it....but either way sadly I say I am no help with math homework anymore. So he had to make a project with household items that was a specific volume, but I still don't really understand but in terms that I could understand it was about a gallon of liquid. So Jimmy and Aaron spend a good 2 hours calculating and recalculating all the different things to come up with the right size containers to be the correct amount and then we had to make the household items into something....after many bad ideas Jason said....make a dog. WHAT A GOOD IDEA!!! I may not be good at math but I can do this!!!!!!!

The Photo Wall

Ashlie & Shawn 3/12/2010 PhotoBooth Photos

To view and download your pictures click on the photo above. If you would like I can email you a larger file just email me at pierce.alisa@gmail.com and tell me the photo numbers you would want and I will get them to you. Thanks for sharing this special day with Ashlie and Shawn.

10 Days

It's 10 days until Ashlie get married! It's a crazy time for her, for me, for Shawn, for my children who think I have COMPLETLY lost my mind. But in all the craziness I felt it important to share with all of you the joy and I feel deep down inside (underneath all the tulle and lights :)), my daughter has made good choices and will be recieving her endowments this friday night and will become a temple recommend holding member of the church and I am indeed grateful that her journey in life has made this most significant stop at the temple. The following Friday she will be sealed in the temple to Shawn. Being in the young women program for so long, teaching and praying and hoping for this day for all the young women is something that has become a regular part of my life and my daughter being worthy and ready to enter the temple for her endowments and temple marriage is something I have a hard time putting into words. The first time you see your child in the temple is an amazing feeling one I hope to have 3 more times after this Friday. I love my family very much, we are a crazy bunch but we love each other and that is what really matters. These moments we will spend in the temple in the next week is the stuff that really matters, and I'm really proud of my sweet sweet baby girl.

So Many Things to Blog About....So Little Time

As I look over all the lovely blogs of all my lovely friends it feels so hopeless. So here is the update...no pictures (except one) included. We went to Disneyland in November it was a blast. My favorite all time ride is Toy Story Mania, I could have rode that ride over and over, it was like being a kid again...but my actual children (the youngest one) didn't really enjoy it as much as I did...so we left after only riding it 5 or 6 times :)

December is CRAZY for me it's our anniversary we celebrated 16 years this year, then comes Jason's birthday on the 14th, then Christmas....OH add in a daughter getting ENGAGED, and then Christmas, but the fun still isn't over, Ashlie's birthday is on the 28th and now the fun continues right into the new year with Shawn's birthday on the 4th of January! (He got his birthday present last week....) Sorry Shawn! Also Abigail has been in and out of the hospital for the last 2 months...it has been crazy!

Anyway so planning a wedding for daughter #2 is as unique as she is. For some reason I thought it would go like it did with Amber, it isn't. Not that it is bad because it isn't its just different. It's like when you bring home your first baby and everything is one way and you get used to it, then you bring home baby #2 and suddenly things are different, not bad, wonderful, just different. So that is where I am. Planning a wedding, laying awake at night worrying lights will fall on people, wondering is there going to be enough food??? So many questions and now at this point only 6 weeks to the day left worry about them :)

Ashlie and Shawn are holding their engagement photos under lock and key, it's killing me...but I love them so I don't show them to ANYONE....BUT here is a super cute picture of Brittany taking some of their engagement photos. Isn't she the cutest thing? I love her! The two people she is taking a picture of are amazingly cute as well...but you can't see that picture yet!

I feel blessed to have the life I have, it's stressful sometimes, and then sometimes I make it more stressful than it needs to be. My dear friends...love me that is all I ask, I am a crazy mom right now but this to shall pass. When this is over I will be calm and relaxed and very nice to be around, for about a day until I realize it's time to really get busy with girls camp. :)

Life is good....

My daughter has met her eternal companion and they will be sealed in the temple on March 12th...everyone else is healthy and safe, again I say... Life is Good. :)

I make no promises about postings before the wedding...but eventually they will come :)