One of our favorite people, Jessica, took family pics for us yesterday. Here is one of the best!

I'm thankful for UCSD neurosurgery

Instead of making a list, I'll write about one thing I'm thankful for today


It's kind of a weird thing to be thankful for this morning since thanks to UCSD neurosurgery Dave is working instead of home on Thanksgiving...but I have been thinking a lot lately about how happy I am to be in San Diego and how grateful I am for the program Dave is in.

I am so glad that UCSD picked Dave. It was near the top of our rank list but not number one, and who knows how we could have been so crazy to want to go someplace else, and I am SO THANKFUL that we matched here. Dave is too. It is perfect for us in so many ways.

I LOVE living in San Diego. For the first time in my adult life I really feel like I'm at home. In all the years of schooling and places that I've lived since leaving home, I have always felt like it was a pit stop in my life journey. I'm sure a large part of that was the fact that we were living in apartments and our stay was very temporary. Now I feel like I've arrived; and I love it! I love our house, our ward, our school, our view, the weather, living near family, having Dan with us, being in the same town as Jessica's family so that we get to see them on all the holidays. I love being in a touristy town so we always have lots of visitors. I love all the wonderful people here.

I like sunshine. I am not a person that has a tendency towards depression however, I have noticed a difference in how I feel over the last 2 years. I find that sunshine makes me happier! I understand why people pay "the sunshine tax" to live in CA. I am willing to do the same. Life is easier without bad weather. When I was living in other places I didn't mind the weather. I even liked the seasons, but now that I am without them I would say that I definitely prefer the weather here. I like to go out and play sports, play at the park, walk, sit. It is so nice to be able to go outside year round.

I am glad the residency program is 7 years. It is so good to know that we will be here for such a long time. I find myself not wanting to think about what is after residency because I would be super happy to stay here forever!

Dave works with great people. The chief resident this year is basically Dave's boss and has complete control over how the hospital is run. Fortunately for us, he is AMAZING. He has been very conscientious about the work load and has tried very hard to make it fair and manageable for everyone (this has not always been the case in this particular program). He is also a very nice guy and all around good person. Many of the other people at work are people Dave enjoys working with which makes the work experience a good one for Dave.

I'm so glad Dave loves his job. He is having a good time learning to operate and it what he does is exciting to him. Working 88 hours a week and having no time for anything but work and sleep would be quite miserable if he did not love what he is doing.

I am so grateful that Dave is so smart :) and so hard working. I am so proud of him for all he's doing.


here is Dave modeling his surgical glasses for us!

the day after

Today was a funny day. It all started when Calvin woke up pretty early (having gone to bed at 5pm) and found that there was a lot of new stuff out an about from Clare's birthday party including a few little decorations and a few presents. I let him play for a little while while I slept and Dave got ready for work. As Dave was leaving he came to me and said that he had found Calvin in the cinderella tent, coloring princess pictures and covered from head to toe in princess stickers!!

The kids had a great morning playing with toys and coloring and recreating the party that Calvin and Alexey had slept through last night!



what a funny little 1/2 smile.

Happy Birthday Clare Bear!

Sweet Clare is 3 today! We are all so excited.

Clare loves to dress up like a princess. She wears her Cinderella dress every day. A few days ago we were outside playing baseball and Clare said, "mom, I need to go inside now to spin around." She loves to sing and dance. She LOVES her Dad. She is a good big sister to Alexey. Clare is growing taller but is still pretty petite. She weighs about 27 pounds. She likes to play on the playground. Her favorite (and only) foods are yougart and fruit. She loves all sweets, espeically ice cream. Her favorite ice cream is mint. She calls it minty gum ice cream.

We had a great day. This morning Calvin gave Clare a present before school.

Then we had cupcakes with friends at the park.



After Dave got home we had a family birthday party (Alexey and Calvin were already in bed).

Clare got lots of princess things...dolls, coloring book, tent. Dave gave clare a Taylor Swift CD for dancing. It was a big hit. She loved it. It was a thoughtful gift, just right for Clare.

Sweet Alexey. My joy.

Has recently learned to sit up on her own.


Is fully aware of how crazy the rest of her family is...


but loves everyone.


Weighs in at around 16 lbs. (dropped from the 85 to 25% for weight now that she's rolling and moving a lot).



Has the sweetest face and most beautiful blue eyes.


She is so easy and so wonderful! Always smiley and cheerful. Super easy going. Just can't get enough of her sweet cheeks. If kids stayed this happy forever I'd have 10 kids!

My Firstborn

Well you all know about Calvin -- his sleep schedule is famously difficult. And the fall back time change is horrible for that. He got up at 3:30am for a full week and had a rough week at home and at school as a consequence. Now he's back to 4:30-5:30 as a wake up time. He often falls asleep around 5:30 or 6, right after dinner. Otherwise, he's in bed by 7. Yesterday he slept from 5:30pm to 5:30am. It is a decent night of sleep. If we could just move it from 7 to 7 it'd be great but for some reason it never works out that way. He is a good boy!

I recently had his parent teacher conference for Kindergarten. I was very interested to see how he was doing in school and of course, hopeful that things were going well. He has been reading well and I was curious if he was up to par or above or below. At our meeting his teacher says he is doing great academically. She said he's obviously a bright kid......bbbuuuuuuuuuttt, he does have quite a few "I's" (for needs improvement) in the behavior section of his report card. I won't talk about everything she said, but I do have one funny thing to share. She said that one of the mom's mentioned to her that Calvin is so cute and reminds her of Dennis the menace. His teacher thought that was right on as a description of Calvin! Not sure if it's a compliment, but I think they mean it in the nicest way possible. Calvin really is quite a character. He is fun and funny and can also be naughty. I think that he gets in trouble a lot not necessarily because he's trying to do the wrong thing but because he is daydreaming and preoccupied with his own little agenda. He needs to learn to be a better listener and I think since he's overall a good little guy, he'll eventually figure it out.

A new favorite thing is Alvin and the Chipmunks which we found at the library to rent on DVD. He says his nickname is "Alvin" and that he wants a harmonica for Christmas!

Calvin is a sweet guy. He's very loving and affectionate. Even though he can be a tough kid I wouldn't trade him for anything!

Dan the Man

Dan is my 17 year old brother, a senior in high school. He is amazing. I would say that his is the #1 reason I have made it so far through Dave's residency and I'm sure he'll carry me through the rest of this year. When he goes away for college (if he does go) I will probably cry and wish he could stay forever. Dan has lived with us since June. Last year he spent a lot of time at our house as well but could only come over on the weekends or on school breaks because otherwise he needed to be at home so my Dad could take him to school and the other places he needed to be. now that he has his drivers licence he is more independent and can stay here all the time. Here are some things I love about Dan. 1. He is great with the kids. and the kids love him. 2. I enjoy having him here with me. He keeps me company and provides an adult to talk to during the day and at night, esp. when dave isn't home. 3. I feel safer with him sleeping here, esp. when dave isn't home. 4. this should be #1 HE BABYSITS for us. FOR FREE. well, usually we bring him a milkshake or dinner or treat or something but really it's free and that has been why it is so easy for dave and I to go on dates. Dan will even come home from hanging out with his friends to babysit when Dave's schedule allows. It is so nice of him and means so much to us. He also babysits when Dave is no call and I have soccer or mutual or bookclub. 5. dan is awesome! he has a great sense of humor and is really pleasant to be around.

interrupting the scheduled program for a few pics

today we went to a fun place here in SD called the torrey pines glider port. It is a place were people can go paragliding and go fly their fancy model airplanes. There are some gorgeous cliffs overlooking a beach (a nude beach, but it's so far down to the beach you can't see anything too crazy), so there is a really good breeze. It was a perfect San Diego day. Sunny at 70. Dave's parents are in town for a couple of days from back east. It is always nice to have them to town. they are so great at giving the kids extra love and attention.

I thought this was a great picture of dave and his dad. They're not saluting anything, just shading their eyes.


This is the the first picture with all five family members since alexey was born (almost 8 months ago). in typical fashion -- Clare wearing her cindrella dress, calvin's shirt is backwards.


Not too great of a picture of dave and clare but behind them you can see the paraglider.


we had the most beautiful sunset tonight at our house! We took some pics with dave's mom and dad. Calvin was watching alvin and the chipmunks so he didn't want to join us!

next in line - Denise

Dave always brags that he is older than me. I keep wondering when the day will come that he's not so proud of that! I'm glad we're not that old yet!

I am doing well. My life is busy too. I love my new calling working with the laurels. It is fun teaching on Sunday's. I love to teach. I would not say that I am one of those amazing, truly gifted teachers, but I would say that I am much better at teaching and it much easier and more enjoyable that secretary work. Mutual and other activies with YW are fun and a big part of life since there are so many! This week we have 3 meetings plus mutual (it's not usually that bad, but it's a busy week)!

Here is my day:
sometime between 3:30-5 most days I hear Calvin knocking and saying "mom....I need to go potty...." I go let him go potty and if I'm nice I give him a snack and then lock him back in 'til around 6. It must sound horrible to some of you that I lock Calvin in his room. I never would have thought that I'd lock my kids in but it is for the good of the house (he is destructive and mischievous) and his safety (so he doesn't hurt himself and so I don't kill him when he ruins stuff in the house).

4am - dave gives me a kiss on his way out the door

6ish I get up. I got into the habit of letting calvin get up at watch TV for an hour while I slept but now that I don't have a "new" baby I am trying to get up at 6 with him. I get so much more done in the day and he likes to have someone to talk to.

6-8 read, blog, eat breakfast, play games, hang out, girls wake up, etc.

okay, I decided this is too boring.

My day consists of caring for children and the house. Often it is wonderful. Some days I think I'm lucky to make it through the day. My worst days are not so much the days that the kids are bad but the days that I do not handle it well. It's almost a guarantee that there will be times in every day when the kids get on my nerves so it's up to me to stay calm and give them a drink and a snack and help them be happy!! I love being a Mom and am so lucky to be home with the kids. I really love babies. I often say that if kids stayed as sweet as Alexey == and really my other two were very sweet babies as well -- then I'd have 100 kids!

I still play soccer once a week, and often it is twice a week since I sub. I'm trying to figure out how else to exercise but haven't gotten that figure out yet.

I look forward to my dates with Dave. We try to get out once a week but some weeks his schedule doesn't allow that. for the most part we do make it. The kids look forward to those dates also because I usually let them get a red box movie to watch when we leave. Most often Dan babysits (I'll post about him next) and I also have a 13 year old girl from church that will babysit sometimes.

from oldest to youngest

Now that all of my political posting is done I will give you some updates about the family members. We'll start with Dave.

As you may remember Dave got a ticket for running a red light, courtesy of the traffic camera's they have posted at certain intersections. Those purpose of those red light cameras is to create revenue and it is said that they are strategically placed in well-to-do areas where tickets can be given and paid without much fuss. Dave's ticket was $430 + a few extra bucks for traffic school. This is insane. Dave has spent HOURS on the computer doing research to try to get out of this ticket. He joined a club for $25 called Ticket Assassin and supposedly this guy will help you get out of your ticket. I doubt it'll work with a red light camera ticket but dave figures it is worth a try. He will spend a few months going through the motions of appealing the ticket and will most likely be found guilty and then he'll beg for a fee reduction and claim economic hardship. We'll see. Here are some pics.

Dave's cute face. one thing he has learned is that if there isn't a clear image of the face no ticket can be issued from a picture. So, he will either cover his face (not a good idea to drive with your hand in front of your face?) or wear a ski mask that covers his face (another good Christmas gift idea) next time he runs a red light. Apparently he runs red lights quite frequently when driving to work at 4am because "it is stupid to sit at a red light when there are no other cars around."


driving through the light. his car is making the left turn


Dave has had a few incidents at the hospital this year that have caused him to lose his cool. All have involved his food. disappearing. His chief resident says of dave, "dave is awesome. he can handle anything. His patient codes on the table in the or and dave is cool and works through it. Somebody steals his lunch out of the fridge and he will completely lose his composure and hunt that person down!" It has happened a couple of times. Once some nurses thought his lunch was meant for the nurses pot-luck so they ate it. That's when we learned to put his name on everything he takes to the hospital. Another time someone cleaned out the fridge and threw his lunch away -- on a day when they were not supposed to clean out the fridge. And just tonight someone ate his dinner. The tupperware had his name on it and so whoever did this was just VERY RUDE. I feel bad for him since he's on call and really needs that food.

Dave has thanksgiving off and is taking another week of vacation in the middle of December. He'll work Christmas this year. Overall, he's loving his job. He wishes he had more time for exercise! He is busy, busy! He is about 1/3 of the way through his second year of residency and this second year is probably the toughest overall, so it's good we're plugging through.

baby shower

A few weeks ago we had a baby shower for one of my friends here in the ward, Erin.
It was a surprise shower. Ern was invited to a girls night out at my house and instead showed up to a baby shower. And it was super fun. We had a great turnout of about 30 women. Her husband did a good job helping her decide to get dressed nice and ready to go. He did a great job of nudging her along without being too obvious. He said, "sweetie, I think you'll feel so much better if you get dressed." and "don't you think you'll have more fun if you comb your hair and brush your teeth before you go?" Erin always looks lovely, but at nine months pregnant she didn't feel like getting ready to go out. It is usually pretty safe to show up in PJ's to a girls night at my house since I'm almost always in mine! So, I was glad she came dressed and ready for the occasion. She was very surprised and had a wonderful evening. Her baby is due any day now.

Erin's mom brought all the food -- catered it from Oscars, and she also decorated the table.
Erin's sister made the great diaper cake (it is made out of diapers).

lessons learned

PROP 8 PASSED!!!
Here's the article announcing the passing of prop 8 in the LA times. They actually do a decent job reporting on prop 8 even though they call the measure divisive.


I promise this will be my last political post. I actually do not like politics. I don't like reading about them in the paper, on other blogs, and seeing it dominate TV. Prop 8 I felt was above politics.. Anyway, my point is that I'll get off my soapbox and return to posting pics of the kids and funny stories about dave. :) After this last post.

I have been thinking a lot about politics over these last few weeks and about other things and wanted to share some thoughts. hopefully I won't bore you too much. Also, you should know that as of now I don't know the outcome of prop 8. It is 10pm and only 25% of the precincts are reporting. So, these lessons are regardless of the outcome.

1. I am grateful for good politicians. Being involved in the election process has opened my eyes to the amount of time, money and whole hearted effort that it takes to run a campaign. Also, I have thought a lot about the sacrifice it is to "put yourself out there" and run for office. We know that there is some nasty stuff that can circulate about people running for office and their families. There were days when I was nervous about having a bumper sticker on my car for fear that someone would slash my tires or follow me home or yell at me or any number of crazy things. My bumper sticker said "yes on 8" and I thought how much more of a target individuals are (compared to propositions). I really appreciate the good people who run for office and sacrifice their time and talents and probably some personal comfort to do so.


2. I love good people. Working with other members of the church and members of the community to pass prop 8 has been very satisfying. I have learned from the examples of many great individuals. I have made some new friends because of our common interest in prop 8. I have been inspired by the dedication and hard work that I have observed.

3. Be a better Mother. Since one of the major issues involved with prop 8 is the education and protection of children I have thought a lot about MY ROLE as mother and how I need to do better as an educator and protector of my children. It is so important that the time they are with me I am teaching them what is correct and true, otherwise I'm a hypocrite for working so hard to make sure the schools are teaching good things. I think generally I am a good mom, but I know that I can do better. Sort of the same thing, but a little bit different is this thought...regardless of if prop 8 passes or fails, the world really is a tough place and the kids are not learning everything they should at school in terms of morals and standards by which they should live. It is my responsibility to teach them what is right and what is true so that when they face difficult issues (such as homosexuality) in school, they will know what the truth is. There is a lot of confusion about what is right and what is wrong and I want to make sure my kids know the difference because I have taught them to choose the right.

4. The power of one. I really do think that the work of one person can make a difference. Standing on street corners, smiling and waving at people going by while holding a prop 8 sign, I felt that my time was well spent if even one person decided to vote yes after seeing someone so cute as me on the corner :) ha ha. In my phone calls I know of a few people who were probably going to vote no on 8 and I was able to help them understand that voting yes would be better. I hung some street signs that actually stayed out on the street and lots of people got to see them....etc. etc. Now, understand I'm not trying to brag. I'm just saying that the very small things that I did make a difference. The leader of prop 8 for our region has a quote that is the footer on all her emails. It says "you need to be the change you wish to see in the world." I believe in that more now than I did when I first started getting emails from her 2 months ago. Each of us can be a powerful influence for good. We can uplift everyone we come in contact with each day. We can take an active role in the community. We can be great mothers. We can be a good friend. There is a lot we can do and I know we each make a difference.

5. It is important to follow the prophet. It is like a positive control loop. The more we follow the prophet the more we know it is important to follow the prophet and the more we want to follow the prophet and we get stronger as we follow the prophet. The more you do it, the more you know it is right! When we first heard that there would be a marriage amendment on the ballot I thought, "there's no way that is going to pass in CA. sure it passed in 2000 by 61% but it has gotten WAAAYYY worse and there's no way it'll pass again." Then we were told that we should sacrifice of our time and means to help pass prop 8. I thought it sounded like a good cause and I picked up a packet and worked on it for a month or two. Then over the last couple of weeks I really kicked it into gear and decided to follow the instruction more perfectly. The first presidency letter to all members of the church in CA said, "We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to assure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman. Our best efforts are required to preserve the sacred institution of marriage." (emphasis added). I decided to kick it into gear and really do ALL I could to support prop 8. The more I did, the more I felt the importance of what I was doing. When I was lukewarm, even though I was going forward I didn't have the fire of confirmation that I was doing the right thing.

I realize from this experience that there are other things that I need to do better in following the prophet. The simple act of doing your best brings blessings in addition to specific blessings that come from being obedient to each commandment.

6. Whose side am I on? There were a lot of very well known and outspoken donors to the no on 8 campaign including Ellen (duh), Brad Pitt, Steven Spielberg, Steve Young (very disappointing to say the least). One night there was a fund raising event in holly wood where the ticket price was $1000. That night $4 million was raised for NO on 8. I has gotten me to think that in a way, I have supported no on 8 because I do watch movies and tv and help pour money into Hollywood. It has been something I have been thinking about -- how much money should I put into popular media and entertainment? Or should I put NONE in at all?

7. Marriage is important. And not just the definition of marriage. My marriage too! I need to do all I can to strengthen marriage in CA and also in my own home.

direct attack on mormon church in tv commercial

THIS IS DESPICABLE
It was just released last night and will air on TV today in CA. It shows the ugliest of the gay agenda -- attacking religious groups and being completely intolerant of any viewpoint besides their own. It makes me so angry. WE MUST PASS PROP 8. Passing prop 8 is such a small thing when you really consider how far the gays have come. We, as a society, have let them spread disease, co-habitate, enjoy perverted sexual activity, have children, get benefits, collect life insurance, teach school children, live next door, have gay parades, make movies, become civil law partners, etc. Not allowing them to be called married is pretty insignificant in comparison to all that they already have (not that they shouldn't necessarily have any of those other things). When the 4 judges overturned the 2000 law that protected traditional marriage, those judges gave gays a protected status in CA so that they actaully have more rights than any other group of people. Because of this, any case that will go to court in regards to gay rights, the gay person or group will ALWAYS win, UNLESS prop 8 passes. In other words, they will be free to slander the church, attach individuals, businesses, churches and any others that get in the way of their gay agenda. It is completely obvious, to those of us who have been in this battleground for the last couple of months, that their desire to "get married as an expression of love" is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the gay community's desire to invade America with their plague of hate towards the traditional american family and Christian values which this country was founded upon.

And, here's an inspiring article written by a friend that will leave you with a more positive feeling. And one more sweet story about the good of uniting together for a cause.

get pumped for Prop 8!

We have 2 days left!

Here's the video sent out to inspire and energize volunteers for the next two days.
The story of Prop 8

Pray for Prop 8 and join me in wearing Yellow tomorrow to support prop 8. (In SD county all yes on 8 voters are wearing yellow)!

The polls are showing that the Prop which has been trailing is quickly closing the gap and gaining momentum. With a large percentage of undecided voters still out there we are working hard for VICTORY!!!