Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Another Tag!!!

Looks like you will really get to know me more than you want, I am sure!

1. What is your Hubby's name? John Perry Russell

2. How long have your been married? 17 years! GOSH, I am old!

3. How long did you date? 8 months

4.How old is he? He will be 43 this year.

5. Who eats more? That is a toss-up, but I would say him. of course.

6. Who said I Love you First? John did, and it was not in the way you would hear it in a Fairy Tale.

7. Who is taller? John better be, I am only 5'3.

8. Who sings better? I guess I do, but that's not saying a whole lot.

9. Who is smarter? John.... I am the creative one

10. Who temper is worse? John.

11. Who does the laundry? We both do, but John does a lot of it.

12. Who does the dishes? John does them mostly... I hate to do the dishes, especially if I cook.

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do.

14. Who pays the bills?John, he can HAVE those.

15. Who mows the lawn? Marcus used to before he got sick, but John did it last summer.

16. Who cooks dinner? We both do. I do mostly now that I am home and not working outside the home.

17. Who drives when together? JOHN, he won't let me drive while he is in the car. Even driving to New York he did all the driving.

18. Who is more stubborn? Me. It is the "Taylor" genes I got from my Dad.

19. Who is the first to admit they are wrong? John, thats because I am usually right... JK

20. Whose parents do we visit most? John's Dad and his wife. They come to see us the most.

21. Who Proposed? John did, during 1/2 time of a University of Arizona game. He even turned off the t.v. to do it! How romantic!

22. Who has more friends? Usually me, but lately that has been changing.

23. Who has more siblings? Me, I have twice as many.

24. Who wears the pants in the family?John, but if you ask him, he will say I do.
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10 years ago....we had just moved to Douglas Arizona, I had a miscarriage and got pregnant with Noah. We only had 2 kids and I thought I was so old. I turned 30!!! WOW glad its not back then again.


5 things on my to do list today...Get off the computer and clean. John's Dad and his wife are coming today.

What I would do if I were suddenly a Millionaire...I would donate a lot to Pediatric cancer research, especially brain tumors. I would buy a home here and 1 in Arizona. Build my parents a home. Go visit places I have always wanted to go.

Three bad Habits...Worrying, Worrying, Worrying. Eating too much junk, and not being motivated. I think these all have to do with each other.

Six places I have lived...Colonia Dublan Mexico, Tucson Az, Logan Ut, Douglas Az, Flagstaff Az, Mesa Az, Providence Utah

5 jobs I have had...Gaging Tech, Electronic Inspector and Tech, Secretary assistant for an Agricultural Office, receptionist for the Ag department at USU, customer service rep for AT&T.

5 things people don't know about me....#1 I am addicted to some computer games, #2 I love electronic gadgets like cell phones, computers, ipods, etc. #2 I hate to cook ,#3 I would love to get some quads or dirt bikes, #4 I suffer from Anxiety #5 I love to solder! weird, I know. OH and I can't count... duh.... (2 # 2's)

I tag....everyone who reads my blog! I will exempt Malie so she doesn't have to do these again...lol.

Tagged!

Ok, I have never been tagged, (thanks Malie) so this should be interesting for me, but probably boring to everyone else. It is an A to Z tag:

A - Attached or single: attached
B - Best friend: John

C - Cake or pie: Cake! My mom's CHOCOLATE (duh) Texas Cake....mmmmmm
D - Day of choice: Saturday, our family day.

E - Essential items: cell phone, and my computer.
F- Favorite color: Navy Blue

G - Gummy bears or worms: neither... they stick to my teeth...yuck
H - Hometown: Dublan, Chihuahua, Mexico (yes, OLD mexico)
I - Indulgence(s): Very Bad one... Blue Bird Chocolates....
J - January or July: July! I love the 4th of July with the Parades, warm (not scalding like AZ.) weather, and lighting fireworks outside with the neighbors.

K- Kids: Marcus (16) Aaron (13) Noah (8) Jackson (6)
L- Life is incomplete without: family and friends
M- Marriage date: 11/2/90

N- Number of siblings: 2 sisters, 3 brothers
O - Oranges or apples: Apples
P- Phobias or fears: Falling from somewhere high
Q - Quotes: "Gloom we have always with us, a rank and sturdy weed, but joy requires tending." Barbara Holland
R - Reason to smile: When my boys come up and hug me (especially when they are 13 and 16!)
S- Season of choice: SPRING! I love seeing the Tulips coming up through the snow, especially after a long winter like we had! I LOVE the seasons.
T - Tag three friends: Allison, Nancy J., and whoever else reads my blog and has a blog.
U - Unknown fact about me: I have ADD... oh yeah, it was supposed to be and UNKNOWN fact.
V - Very favorite store: Kohl's and Target
W - Worst habit: Getting distracted, (goes back to the ADD)
X - X-ray or ultrasound: Ultrasound.
Y - Your favorite food: Tortas from Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico (there are many different types)
Z - Zodiac Sign: Virgo... Shocker, I know
Remember if I mentioned your name in my tag you have to copy and paste this in a post on your blog and then change the answers to suit you.


Happy Easter

Just wondering if anyone had a large object that scrapes boys off the ceilings? After a day of candy from the Easter Bunny, I need something to bring my kids down to a safe level without the grumpiness side-effects. Jackson especially! He is literally climbing everything he can and running around like a mad man... well, more so than usual. He keeps asking for more and more to the point that I think he would eat straight from the sugar bowl if I let him. Who invented the Easter Bunny anyway? Oh, but now days, people are getting ipods, dvds, game systems etc. Whatever!! Even though I complain about the candy, that is ridiculous. Just another day to spoil our kids... not us! They are lucky if they get a chocolate bunny. Its bad enough to find things for their birthdays and Christmas, so lets not go adding on to the list. What comes next? An iphone under the pillow from the toothfairy? Geesh! Thats a lot of baby teeth to be buying for. Seriously, I have heard of some people giving their kids $5, $10/ tooth! Heck, I would yank out all my teeth for that price! ok, off my soap box.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

More Info...

Last night we went over to the Lunds for dinner. They are some pretty good friends of ours and we had a good time. They have twin boys that are Noah's age, a boy that is Jackson's age and a 3 1/2 yr old little girl, who is just a doll. It was so nice to get out and do something to get our minds off of things. It seems like the last year or so we are really getting to be a lot more social and going out with a lot of other couples. Its pretty strange especially cause we really haven't been that way with a lot of people.
While we were there, John got a call from his Mom who had received the Dr.'s reports on her diagnosis. She has Lymphoma type B, which is a pretty common type. They found a mass on one of her ovaries, splatters on her lymph nodes, and they see a dark spot on her lungs that they aren't sure what it is. They recommended an Oncologist, and to get in as soon as she can. When John talked to her, she asked what she should do next. I think she is in shock. All she could talk about was moving to Phoenix, and John just kept telling her to focus on getting into a Dr. She promised that she will call on monday first thing. I know that feeling of numbness and shock, you really don't know what to do next. If our Doctor hadn't made arrangements for Marcus for us, who knows what we would have done. So John will double check on her and make sure she is getting on it. It sounds pretty serious and she might to have surgery. We are keeping positive and hoping that we can be of some help to her. Marcus seems to have taken the news o.k., and thinks he can be a good support for her. It has been a long week, but we made it through o.k. and we look forward to tomorrow when Marcus's friend has his mission farewell , and Marcus goes to get his Patriarchal Blessing. Hopefully it is a sign of a good week ahead.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Warning.... Downer Day.

Just when I get to thinking we are getting back to "normal" around here, and I am feeling good, comfortable with my life, more bad news. Rebekah, my Mother-In-Law, was diagnosed with Lymphoma. They ran a bunch of tests on her yesterday to see exactly what kind they are dealing with and what is next. We haven't told the kids yet until all the tests are back and we know exactly what we are dealing with and what treatments are etc. Marcus will be especially worried and want to know all the details.
Then I found out yesterday that Clarissa, (our neighbor girl who is 11 with the same cancer as Marcus) had an MRI yesterday. The tumor is still growing and she has new spots where it has spread, even with treatments. The tumor board will meet together and decide if there is some experimental treatment they can do, or if they are done. They contacted Make-A-Wish and are going to try to do something for her soon. It just breaks my heart and just hits too close to home.
If you could please keep them both in your thoughts and prayers, I would really appreciate it. I will be sure to hug each of my kids today and tell them that I love them.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Glasses!

Noah has been struggling with his reading for a little while now, so we decided to take him to get his eyes checked. Sure enough, the little man has to have reading glasses. His left eye is normal and his right one is the one that can't see very well. He doesn't have to wear them unless he is doing schoolwork or reading. The first few days he had them, he broke the reading groups "speed" record. He sure was proud of that. We were pretty worried about his reading, but hopefully this will help him a lot. He picked them out himself. They are "Garfield glasses" and came with a case that is furry and looks like Garfield. It is amazing how they make things look so cute. When we were picking out his glasses, he pointed to some and said... those look just like Chloe's glasses. I thought that was cute that he would remember what her glasses look like. He is quite the ladies man ,you know. After all, his best friends are girls.



Someone found my camera!


Notice anything similar between these 2 pictures? Yeah, its our "big-nose pup" Mr. Jackson. He is quite the stinker. I had to delete the pictures of the dark living room, the t.v. and the pile of dirty laundry. I love digital camera's, I used to spend so much money on a roll of film only to find a few pictures of the walls or of the floor. This way I can delete a few of the ones that are a waste and keep the cute ones. Our Jackson sure keeps our life interesting. He told Noah the other day that our family was going to have a new baby, Noah asked him how he knew that and his response was... duh, look at Dads tummy. NICE! At least it wasn't me, THIS time! Gotta love 'em. He sure wears me out on some days, but most of the time I just love his out look on life. He keeps me laughing, giving me wrinkles and lots of gray hair.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Easter?

Did you realize that in a few weeks (this month) it will be Easter? Boy it sure doesn't feel like it! We still have about a foot of snow on the ground and more coming down right now. So look what my dear, sweet, loving husband brought me to help us all feel the Spring and get in the Easter Spirit. It has been a long winter. We have had snow on the ground constantly since right after Thanksgiving. We did get up to 46 degrees the other day, but when there is no grass nor flowers, its hard to believe that Easter is only 3 weeks away! Who planned that one?? We already feel like hunting down that groundhog as it is, but what happened to having Easter in April? At least I can deal with that a little better. Plus, the boys are supposed to start soccer soon... mmmm
maybe in their snowsuits! I think that would be just lovely! I really don't think it will be starting as soon as everyone thinks. I am not looking forward to sitting out in freezing cold weather watching my little boys freeze!! Oh well, the joys of living in Utah. I do love snow and the seasons. This one has just been a long one. Maybe this summer won't be too hot, and we will get a lot of rain. AAhhhhh, that sounds great to me.
Well, in other news, Marcus's bloodtest results came back that all his hormone levels are normal! That is amazing!!! Especially the fact that he had radiation right on his pituitary gland, plus all that chemo and his levels are great! That is nice to know, but now we are back to square one.... what is causing his knee pain? I guess we will have to go to an orthopedic doc and maybe they can figure it out. I just hate to see him have to deal with more pain. I know, we have been soooo sooo blessed! I am soooo excited that he is doing so well, I hate to even complain. A part of me just wants to leave him alone and let him have a short rest from Doctors right now. His next MRI is next month so maybe we will wait until then and if he is still in pain, then we will go from there. He doesn't complain too much and he is taking celebrex which seems to help. He is doing better emotionally as well. He came home from his last day of the trimester and was sitting in his room reading a paper. I went in and asked him what he was reading. He looked at me and said... I can't believe this. It was our last day in seminary and everyone wrote something about each person. Almost every single person wrote of how much He had strengthened their testimonies and what an amazing person he is. Some wrote about how his experiences that he shared, gave them strength and a stronger testimony. He just beamed! He said he had no idea that anyone felt this way about him. That next sunday, he got up and bore his Testimony for the first time since we moved here, and did it with such confidence and surety. I am so proud of him. He will be receiving his Patriarchal Blessing on the 16th of March, and I think I am more excited than anyone else. I remember when I received mine, it was so awesome! I know he will have the same experience.

Music

Well, I copied some of the other blogs and put some of our music on here. Music is a big part of our home, so I thought that putting our music on here would give a little more of "our Home" feel. We also love to joke around and the spider pig song is just a song the "guys" love to sing. Everyone picked out a few songs, can you figure out who picked what song? OK, for those of you who know that John is a HUGE "Dead Head", Bertha is a given. OK.... Now you can guess.