Sealed

Bat and I were sealed in the Spokane Temple yesterday, Saturday the 27th of December 2008. Can I just tell you how peaceful and grateful I feel right now. When we walked into the room and saw most of our beloved friends and family there to support us and be a witness to our eternal marriage I just felt our Fathers love so strong, and my husbands shaking hands, he was so nervous until our kids came in then as we knelt together to be sealed as an eternal family we just had the spirit come over us and were calm and beautiful. I wish I could articulate what I feel.
Im so glad Ben was good, both my kids looked like little angels. We have a great responsibility to take care of these little spirits we're entrusted. I know Father is pleased with us now and I am so thankful to our Savior for providing the way for us to return to Him.
I am so thankful to our friends and brothers and sisters in the gospel who could be there with us at the temple, especially with the crazy weather. I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas we sure did. Thea was so excited this year, it was fun to play santa. Ben had a good time too, we didnt event wrap his gifts cause I knew Thea would end up opening it anyway. He loves his dump truck and Thea was so excited to get her littlest pet shop. Can I just say I dont know how they mass produce these toys in the packaging they do, it takes me 15 minutes to get to toys out of the packages. Anyway Im speaking in church today and then on Tuesday we fly to McAllen Texas to visit some of Bats family for New Years. New Years was a bigger event to Bat growing up than Christmas so it will be fun to celebrate Filippino style. His mom is coming to the states for the first time so we are very excited to welcome her to America.
Best wishes for a Happy New Year.
Thanks for all the wonderful Christmas cards, I love to see new pictures of your families. We will be sending a New Years card so watch for that.

30th Birthday

Happy Birthday to ME! I think its OK to say that since it is the big 3-0. I have had a really nice day, Bat brought me flowers to wake up to and I got pampered a little by getting my nails done and a pedicure, I love the color its all sparkly like the ruby slippers in the wizard of Oz and the nail tech put little snow flakes on my big toes, Thea got hers painted too she was so excited. We went to dinner with my mom, dad and grandma Sharon and Grandma & Grandpa Clukey at Wolf Lodge its our little tradition cause its moms birthday on the 3rd, mine on the 6th and Grandma Leann's on the 7th.Tnight we also went to Dock side for BIG deserts. All the Christmas decorations are so fun and beautiful I really wished my kids were there, we'll have to take them before Christmas. It was nice to get out for and evening with adults and not worry about rushing home to nurse Ben although I did have to rush home to nurse him I wasn't thinking about it the whole night.
Earlier this year I was a little concerned about turning 30, not that its so old or anything but I just wasn't sure I was in the place I thought I would be when I was 19 or 20 but at that age do we really know anything about anything? Over the summer I had this discussion with a dear friend from high school and she said she was excited and basically that I should be too. I have two beautiful healthy children and a husband that I am now very happy with, among other things she just really put a new and positive perspective on aging for me. So now I too am excited to be turning thirty and I am looking at life with a fresh perspective, like I get to start a new chapter of life and I would like to make the very best of it by making a list of things I'd like to accomplish by the time I'm...(I'm pausing here for a long moment, should it be 40 or 50) lets start with 40. (Natalie this list idea is from reading your blog about your list for your 20's thanks for the idea. I never had a 20's list so here's my 30's list :)

1. Get sealed in the Temple to Bat and our children.
2. Own a home
3. Get current on my kids' scrapbooks
4. Read the Book of Mormon cover to cover
5. Read and implement the Best life diet (this could take on a list of its own # 1 on that list would be to loose 50 lbs.)
6. Go on a "honeymoon" with my husband (make it tropical)
7. Learn to crochet
8. Bring Nathalia to live with us
9. Be a bus driver (I know this seems crazy but if I have to go to work I'd like to work for a school so I have the same schedule as my kids.)

I may and probably will come back to this list to add to it but I just wanted to put down a few things I've been thinking about maybe by having it out there for others to see will give me more accountalility to it.

Thanksgiving

I am so very grateful to my husband who was ordained with the Melchizedek priesthood yesterday and so thankful to our Father in Heaven for helping him to get to this place in his life where he can now bless our family and home with the authority of Heaven. I am so thankful for the peace that knowing these things are true brings to our life. I love all of my family very much and I also have amazing friends who are teaching me new things all the time and giving me unyeilding support. Happy Thankgiving, I have much more on my mind but Ben needs my attention RIGHT NOW!hehe

Fall Update

I know I'm not a true blogger but I will try to update quarterly. I am at peace with life right now, I'm so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the knowledge that families can be together forever. I am so proud and happy for my husband Bat, who will be getting the Melchizedek priesthood on the 2nd of November. We are going to start the temple preparation class this month so hopefully by the end of this year we will be able to become an eternal family. I can envision kneeling at the alter across from my husband and my children dressed in white with us. I have a special bond with my kids but to know that we are also bound in heaven will be so comforting to me.

I love fall, the leaves turning colors and the cool evenings I think it is my favorite season. We usually go to pick a pumpkin at Carver farms but they haven't looked that nice the last couple years, you know the ones that are odd shaped with wart like things, so we will just buy one at the store where we can get a bright orange nice and round pumpkin. I did find some small ones at the farmers market that were nice and round but not big enough to carve a cute jack-o-lantern. Anyway...

My Thea started preschool in September. She loves it! Each week they learn a new skill or idea about life. They've learned how to behave on the bus, hand washing and about different kinds of apples where they made applesauce and next week they'll learn about pumpkins. They really encourage parent involvement. On the 9th of October was Thea's 4th birthday so I went to school with her and we had gogurts for the treat, thy are her favorite snack. We had a big "Hello Kitty" party for her at home that night, games included a pinata, yes it was a little crazy but no one was injured and they all had a great time. We decided every other year will be a big party, Thea gets the even and Ben will get the odd which really means a big party every year.

My Ben Ben, is just growing and doing all the baby things he should, he crawls all over the place and is even standing independently he actually took a step and a half last night. I always have to squeeze him!

Summer update

My not so little Ben Ben has reached several mile stones in his sixth month. He got his two front bottom teeth and has been sitting up without support for about a month and he is really moving around, his version of crawling is so cute. He kind of pushes up on all fours and then scoots his legs forward, he is especially good at spinning himself around on his belly when he hears my voice, its like hes high centered. he he

My Thea girl loves to be in the pool, she can tippy toe touch the bottom of our four foot deep pool now and does pretty good without her life jaket. Our neighbor Bekah Nalder who is 10 yrs old is her best friend and likes to come over to swim and play with her. I have to remind myself that she is only three. Sometimes I expect too much and treat her like an older child. But I love it when she whispers "I love you mommy." She is starting pre-school this September at Otis Elementary, four days a week in the afternoons. It should be really good for her, she needs more attention than it seems I can give her.

Bat and I are doing so much better than we were a year ago, we go to church almost every Sunday and try to attend ward activities and he is working with the bishop to get his melkezdic priesthood, then we can go to the temple to be sealed. We did go to the temple a while ago to do baptisms and that was a good experience for us both. I was just so happy that we could be in the temple together in any capacity. We are working on setting goals to buy a home, hopefully in about a year and a half we will start shopping for financing and then a home.

My kids and my mom and I took a trip down to Utah over the 4th of July it was so good to see all my cousins. We spent the 4th down in St. George, it was so hot but we went swimming to cool off at this georgous pool. Ben was so tired of traveling in the car by the time we were ready to go home, for my own sanity and all involved I just flew home with him. Even in a crowded flight he did much better than in the car. I just nursed him during take off and landing and he did great.

Just this last Monday we went to Higgins Point at Lake Couer dAlene for a family home evening with my friends and hometeacher the VanCleaves. Thea and Bat had a great time swimming adn Ben discovered the dirt and decided he loves it. At first I didn't want to let him touch it but then I realized I need to let go and let him get dirty.

My brother Kyle got home from serving a mission in the Tulsa, Oklahoma mission on the 2nd of August. He looks so good and I am so happy to have him home and to get know my kids, Thea just loves him. After spending a month or so with us he plans to back to Utah to go to school. I dont have any pictures of him to post yet but I will get on that and post them. Then you can show him to any worthy young ladies that might be interested in a handsome RM.

Beautiful Day

Today made me feel so happy, the sun was shinning all day. Bat called off from work and we went to a BBQ for the Elders Quorum at the Daines' lake house. Oh my gosh what an amazing place to spend the afternoon, Thea played in the water making mud pies and sand castles while Bat attempted his first ever game of volleyball while I caught up on visiting with friends from the ward. I dont want to imagine the kind of life I would have without the church, not only does it provide my spiritual well being but also an excellent social outlet. hehe
I will post some pictures from the weekend at the first of the week. To any fathers that may be reading this Happy Fathers day!

Almost...

Bat will be home on Tuesday, I am so excited to have him back and to have full discusions with him about everything thats going on in the Philippines and with Nathalia and what the future holds for our little family. While I will be so happy and grateful to have him home I admit that I have sort of settled into a routine without him. oh Im so excited...almost.

am I doing this right?

Bare with me while I figure this whole bloging thing. I am excited to get started but a little technically challenged so things may not look that great but I will do my best. Plus right now its 4am I cant sleep but anybody with little children knows I should be so I cannot be held responsible for any errors.

Our Family -1

I love these new family photos, we just went out in the back yard and my mom took a few shots. I say -1 because we are missing Bats daughter Nathalia who is still in the Philippines. We look forward to having her come to live with us one day. Bat is in PI now and is opening communication with the Philippine consulate to get that process started. Last year we had her last name officially changed to Ballao so that really was the first step to the process.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

I would like to welcome myself to the blogging world. I will beging my introducing my super hero daughter.

THEA the SLAYA