Patterson Family

puanoe manuia patterson

2011-06-07T09:47:00.000-07:00

our newest addition to our family came to us wednesday, june 1, 2011 at 9am. she came out just perfect:) she looks much like her sisters and they, along with their older brother, just love her to pieces! we're so thrilled she's finally here with us and we're grateful to everyone who has helped us in any way as we're getting settled with this little girl. we are so blessed and fortunate to have wonderful people around us who give so much of themselves. thank you! and a special thank you to my beautiful mother in law, dixie patterson, who came to stay with us and helped tremendously with everything including: housework, children, cooking, cleaning, children, babies, chauffeuring,...the list goes on. she's an angel-literally. we couldn't have done it without her help and love. thank you mom, we love you. and thank you puanoe for being part of our family. we love you.

today

2011-05-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

nani: mom, do you know who one of my favorite people in the whole world is?
me: who, nani?
nani: GRANDMA & GRANDPA!
me: yes, i should've known...they're one of my favorite people too!

countdown...

2011-05-18T15:33:00.000-07:00

37 weeks pregnant and i'm soooooo feeling it! visited my dr. on monday when he informed me that he's "concerned" about this "pretty good sized" angioma on my placenta-ok. so, an ultrasound next tues. and a visit with him on wed. morning, will determine whether or not this baby girl will be greeting us as soon as next week via induction. unless of course, my water breaks before then-i won't mind if she's anxious to see us sooner:)

that easter morn

2011-04-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

yesterday we celebrated easter with all it's traditions. we had our easter egghunt/picnic dinner on saturday up at oak glen and it was fabulous! we had good food, good friends, and a mighty good egghunt. the kids all had fun...and lots of candy! before going to bed, mason talked with the kids about the true meaning of easter. although egghunts, easter bunny, and candy are all fun, it's not the real reason why we celebrate easter. we then read in the bible the account of jesus' death & resurrection. i love these moments when we have the opportunity to teach & testify to our children of jesus christ! i don't think we can have too many of these moments either. our good bishop commented in sacrament meeting yesterday, on how we as latter day saints, should be just like nephi in the book of mormon..."we talk of christ,we rejoice in christ,we preach of christ,we prophecy of christ...that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." i absolutely love this verse. as a mother, this is what i want to accomplish. this is what i know to be true and what i strive to teach my own children. how thankful i am each day, for that easter morn so long ago, when the savior of the world,fulfilled what he said he would do, for me & for you! he lives and i love him with all my heart.

10 years

2011-04-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

no title. no date. a poem from mason.

She was the most beautiful thing I had layed my eyes on
Her hair was long and dark like in my dreams
The best my 14 year old heart had ever seen
So I was convinced that she was what I wanted
Because her heart was pure and full of love
And so I tried with all my might to have her
But never could
I was convinced she was sent from somewhere above

But you can't force someone to love you
You can't make them understand
You can hope and pray that they feel the same
And one day you will walk and hold their hand

As the time passed my love just grew
Till the time had come to ask her out
So I went and picked a rose from my garden
Got into my friend's car and drove to her house
I was so afraid I could not think
To me this was just like a fairy tale
And all my confidence began to leave me
She was my princess and I was just a frog about to fail

Well the story hasn't changed much from the beginning
She is now a woman and I'm a man
So I sit silently around and I still wish she
Wanted me to hold her hand
But it is plain that love may never be between us
I wish with all my heart I was her man.

Mason's mom found this poem in the trashcan. She can't remember when but she took it out, read it, and thought she ought to save it. She gave it to me sometime during our engagement(a very long 5 weeks)and I read it and cried, just as I'm doing now. I'm glad she kept it and I'm even more glad to say that yes, I suppose Mason couldn't make me understand or force me to love him. I did that on my own, it just took me a while...12 years I suppose. But I did and it's the best decision I've ever made. I am my best because Mason loves me. We've made this rich life together along with our beautiful children and so often I feel like Ammon(in the Book of Mormon), I can't say the smallest part which I feel. Next to my relationship with my Savior, Mason is my greatest blessing. Happy 10th Anniversary honey. I love you.

sila bethany, 7

2011-03-31T12:58:00.000-07:00

sila celebrated her 7th year of life...actually it's more like 1 and 3/4-she's a leap year baby. and boy, has she been doing lots of leaping! sila came to us 3 weeks early. her projected due date was march 20, 2004. mason & i walked, shopped ontario mills mall on sat. feb. 28th. i remember going to bed that night thinking,"wouldn't it be weird if i went into labor tomorrow because of all this walking!" 6 o'clock the next morning(which was sunday) my water broke:) i got in the shower,mason went to his early church meeting and came back in time to take mese & i to church...yes, church-not the hospital. i figured i wasn't feeling any pain so why not go to church! we got there and i told dixie(mason's mom) that my water broke 3 hrs. ago-i guess that's why she had that shocked/surprised/what are you doing here look on her face. needless to say, after some urging from dixie to call my dr., i did, then mason & i took off to the the hospital where later(around 5:35pm, oscars were on) sila bethany patterson would grace us with her presence. she did have the umbilical chord around her neck but that didn't stop her from getting to us! she's here. she's smart.she's feisty. she's independent. she's kind. she's headstrong. she's a leader. she's tenderhearted. and i love her with all of me. mason & i are so blessed to have her in our family. we love you sila girl. happy number 7:)

1 week to 10 years

2011-03-31T12:48:00.000-07:00

and so, this journey is slowing coming to an end(it has been almost 10 weeks of posting this stuff). i've got another letter to share with you, so here it is.

entry#9 January 19, 1996

Dear Melina,
How's it? Me, I'm just chillin.(one of his fave words) Sounds like you're pretty excited about goin on a mission. That's cool! Me, I am startin to get excited to get off. Dec 7 marks one year-half way point.(no, he's not anxious!)
I love it here in Brive.I see lots of castles, chateaus and cool stuff. The work is tuff(did i mention mason's a master speller?:) but p-day is the bomb!(said only in true mason fashion)
Some crazy sisters don't take their p-day-what knuckleheads!(i concur)France is way too cool not to see everything. I love working in such a cool place. Anyway, much love and tell your punk brother to write.
Love,
Mason

what can i say? not much has changed...with his spelling:)

2 weeks to 10 years

2011-03-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

here's another letter mason wrote. this time however, he wrote it in french...now, i'm not going to attempt to write it out in french and he wrote himself, that it was bad because he was still "green" on his mission and had to use a dictionary for most of it anyway. so, for your convenience, it'll be in english. enjoy!

entry #9 February 8, 1996

Bonjour Melina,

I'm well and I hope that you are well too. (always so concerned about me:)
I received your letter-it was very nice. Please excuse my mistakes. I'm having to use a dictionary for this letter.(see, proof he doesn't know everything!:)
I got your letter telling me about MTC & you're right, the food there is bad!(i guess we CAN agree on something)
I'm in Brive. It's very pretty here.
I love you(he just can't seem to stop saying that!) I hope you do good work and walk in the Lord's path. Bon Chance!I love you.(again, he keeps telling me that)
Love,
Mason

i have to admit, i thought it was quite-dare i say-romantic, that he wrote me in french...the language of love:)

3 weeks to 10 years

2011-03-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

this week's entry is a letter, post mission, and you'll see(as i did)just how much growing mason has done since returning home from his mission...happy reading!

entry #8 January 11, 1999

Dear Nina(hold up-he NEVER calls me Nina...only family-what's he getting at here?)
I said I'd write you a letter and you said you'd write back so here's your chance. If you don't write back, I'll have to start praying for your destruction again.(ok, again? really? what's up with that already?!)
It's funny how you never really understand how blessed you really are til you have to be away from family and friends.(i agree)
For me, this Christmas was special because I finally realized some important things in my life. (uh huh, keep going)
I got to show the people I really care about that I love them. Christmas sure is the miracle we make it. (yes! it certainly is:)
I wanted to thank you again for asking me to teach primary.(i was prim.president then)I'm sure you didn't realize it but it was a great blessing. It helped remind me of some basic beauties of the gospel I had forgotten and how cool it is to be around little children and teaching them about Christ.(i heart primary:)
You may be wondering why I'm writing all this stuff.(yes, you are correct)It's because I really don't have anyone here to tell it and me & Mese don't write so you're the lucky winner.(yay for me:)
Also because I hope me and you can become closer friends...of course if you don't want that, just draw me a picture of a gun and send it to me and I'll get the picture.(always the jokester, that mason:)
Oh, by the way...HAPPY BIRTHDAY! and when I'm home in April, I'll bake you a cake if you want.(mason's baked me several birthday cakes-even before we ever started dating...he's relentless i tell you:)
Love,
Mason

mason, mason, mason...i'm starting to think (and maybe believe) that i did love you before i knew i loved you...

4 weeks to 10 years

2011-03-10T13:29:00.000-08:00

this week's entry is a poem mason wrote me on valentine's day 5 years ago...enjoy.

entry #7 February 14, 2006

Sometimes when I doubt, I feel the strength you give
Suddenly I feel the power that I need to live
A thousand days of happiness, one word from you me gives
I care nothing for a life outside of the one we share and live
For you are worth more to me than centuries of wealth
Without your daily guidance I could not find myself
I love to hear you whisper and I love to hear you sing
I love to feel your kisses and the warmth they always bring
You are the passion of my life that makes me want to see
If I can really work hard enough to spend eternity with thee
I love you, just seems not enough to describe how I feel
But, I will try every day to show my love is real
A moment without you, for me is wasted time
And I would pay any price to join all yours with mine
So think of me in kindness and think of me in love
As I think of thee in gratitude for our lasting love

this one really did warm my heart:)

5 weeks to 10 years

2011-03-03T12:26:00.000-08:00

this week's entry comes post mission. maybe he's wisened up a bit...nah!

entry #6 October 28, 1998

Dear Melina,
What's up girl! You must be tired cause you been runnin around my mind since I left your fine self-heh heh-that's one of my best lines & probably explains my lack of dates.(finally! some truth-the part about lack of dates:)
Ricks(now BYU-Idaho) is not as fun as I remember. But I am still getting down and you know this.(he's so modest)
I miss my family a lot. I realize I was a real jerk to them before I left.(the truth comes out!:)
I miss your family too. (uh yeah, there was no missing him on this end, my part anyway:)
Well, write me back or I will cry myself to sleep and I know you don't want that.
Love,
Mason

oh mason...how ever did i let you go for so long and not realize your greatness? i was such a fool:)

my sweet wife

2011-02-27T21:46:00.000-08:00

Many nights spent dreaming of her hand in mine
Fitting us together as the passing of dawn and dusk
Perfecty she smiles and the feeling of eternity
Sweeps my soul into the place yearned for and always wanted
The favor of her heart's delight motivates to climb the highest mountain
To pass through the sorrow of a day without her company's comfort
To be reunited each evening with the hope of a few pure moments together
She is the power of my existence
The passion of my persistence
And the reason for which I feel this
Purely ,powerfully. Persistently I will LOVE her

6 weeks to 10 years

2011-02-23T10:48:00.000-08:00

this week's entry is a bit different from the norm, in that it is not in a letter form, nor a poem. it is in the form of a pamphlet-just like those missionary discussions we used to teach way back when:)so, yes-he took the time to make a "special pamphlet" for me.

entry #5 june 25, 1996

Title: New Study Guide #1 for the Sinners (did i mention how compassionate he is?)

Question: Have you written your missionary this week? (again, i never said he was my missionary)

It's true, not all the world chooses to follow Jesus. The first step is repentance.(remember, he's chastising me for not writing him-whatever) The second step is to obey all of God's commandments.(hmmm, funny-i don't recall writing to mason as being one of those commandments)And the third step is, sacrifice brings blessings. We must be sincerely ready to give all that He asks...like writing Elder Patterson. (uh, ok) The 2 greatest commandments: Love God, and write to Mason. (the first one yes, the second one is questionable...)

this guy's nuts! ...or am i nuts? afterall, i married him:)

7 weeks to 10 years

2011-02-14T12:54:00.000-08:00

in honor of valentine's day(i know,how fitting:),i thought i'd share one of many poems that mason's written for me through the years.

For some love is not so simple as they complicate their lives
Believe it ever changing like the seasons as they rise
Or as the old tree climbing, reaching for the sky
But in me it is different, so let me tell you why
Love is what surrounds me with every breath of air
I feel the sensation growing as each moment I meet the dare
Filling my every moment with riches of love's care
Many will ask themselves, was there really anything there?
So what is the secret, you may ask, to find these feelings too?
Look as I into someone's eyes and find your love returns to you
Never forget that a life alone was never life at all
Your heart be filled with thankfulness as it continues to fall
For my life without you is not a life. You are why my love is true
I am the most blessed man alive because you fill my life with you

happy valentine's day.

8 weeks to 10 years

2011-02-07T13:15:00.000-08:00
it has been fun(mostly)reading these "love" letters from mason and maybe, just maybe, i did love him all along??? oh well, only time will tell. in the mean time, here's another one for you.

entry #3 dated May 3, 1996

Dear Melina,
Hey cutie pie. How's it going? Me, I'm doing pretty good but of course I am because I know everything. It's hard to be perfect but I do it so well.(did i mention how modest he is?)
Thanks for the letter. You should write your missionaries every week though! (i never said he was my missionary!)
Anyway, you are really going for the mission-that's awesome. I don't know if you will be able to not see me for that amount of time but hey, you can always dream about me! (now, HE must be the one who's dreaming!)
I hope everything goes well. I hope you know how much I love you. Really I do...(he does have a soft side:)
I know you can be a great missionary or anything you want, you have a wonderful spirit that is why I love you so much. (he CAN be sweet:)
Do well, prepare fast and eat a burrito for me!(no burritos in france for this cali guy)
Love,
Mason

hmmm...perhaps i did love him all along after all...

oh boy

2011-02-04T13:05:00.000-08:00
today at lunch...

nani:mom, when i grow up, i'm going to be just like you are to us!
me:uh...ok. what does that mean nani?
nani:i'm going to give my kids just gum and pizza!

my poor daughter...she must be thinking of her fairy godmother.

9 weeks to 10 years

2011-02-01T12:40:00.000-08:00
and so the saga continutes...

entry #2 dated march 7, 1996

Dear Melina,
Hey, if you want to go on a mission go for it. If you wait til you're ready, you'll never go!(he CAN say nice things:)
My handwriting is really bad isn't it. (he CAN admit to the truth)
Hey, try not to lay in bed at night thinking about how handsome I am!

as you can see, his unending charm just keeps pulling me in and i can't help but fall for him over, and over, and over again!

10 weeks to 10 years

2011-01-24T12:21:00.000-08:00
in 10 weeks, mason & i will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary. so much has happened and i find myself(often) staring at this man i married sooooo long ago:)while many thoughts come to mind and memories that we've shared. i've been looking back at what it was that made me fall in love with him and i thought i'd share some of these thoughts and memories with you. i know, how did you get so lucky?:) well, before mason and i even started dating(after missions when i actually liked him), we went on dates-meaning, he asked me(because he liked me) and i said yes(i so didn't like him) and i didn't want to be rude. for those of you who don't know, mason is a poet. he writes all kinds of poems and he has written many for me through the years...surprisingly, i've kept all of them! (i guess this is proof that maybe, deep, way deep down inside, i did like him)and he's written me several letters during his college, mission years. so, i thought i'd share some of these with you so you too can come to know the man that took my heart away forever.

entry #1 date: february 1996

dear melina,
i know you're the one who really wants to hug me. but don't worry i'll be back and you can worship the ground i walk on once again...
thank you for finally writing to me now i am only praying the lord breaks your legs. if you send more letters your chances of working onto my after mission dating list will get better. anyway, write punk...
even christine & lauraine write to me. you are just not being righteous enough...

i know, i know...how can i not fall in love with a man who has such a way with words?!:)

2

2011-01-18T13:51:00.001-08:00
this month on the 9th we celebrated 2years of being in our beautiful house! so, what have we done with the place you ask??? well, not much really, besides living in it and enjoying the space, a place to call our own...home. i love our yellow beautiful haven and although we may be outgrowing it real soon with the arrival of our 5th child in june, we still love it and consider it a blessing to have such a place to call ours. we have grand plans for our home, like...

*fixing back fence so, you guessed it...we can get a dog!(nani's constant wish)
*put up a front fence(white picket preferrably-my constant wish)
*paint living room, hall,kitchen/dining area, mese's room,both bathrooms,& my room
*plant tree in front yard with some flowers-gardenia, they smell sooo good.
*extend patio in back, and build awning of some sort
*build a stage(so, as mason likes to say-the kids can entertain us on those long summer nights)
*and of course, have lots of grand galas, parties, get togethers with our friends and family. it wouldn't be a patterson home without them!:)

thanks to everyone who has helped us in some way or another, with our home. and thank you for coming to see us, sitting with us, eating with us, laughing with us, crying with us, we love you all and are always glad to have you in our home. our door is always open.

35 & thriving?

2011-01-07T14:12:00.000-08:00
yes. thursday i celebrated my 35th birthday. it was a lovely day and i had many many many calls, texts, and shouts outs via facebook-thank you to all who wished me well on my birthday! i have to admit, when i really started to think about turning 35(i did this the day before my bday) i started to get anxious, then sad, then depressed. i know-i don't make any sense and so here is where i blame it on the pregancy...again. my sweet husband told me i'm just being silly and i have so much to look forward to this year(as i pluck out the gray hairs i see on my head that happen to stick out like a sore thumb). but, i've made a decision. i AM going to look ahead with optimism. i AM going to do some things differently, better. i AM going to breathe a little more and relax. yes, my husband(and i'm so positive that my children would agree)that i need to RELAX and let things happen. this is hard for me. so, i guess what i'm saying is, i want to THRIVE and live life like i have the best life. because in reality, my life is pretty darn good!:)i have much to be grateful for and for that, i should be glad for another birthday, right? i AM.

hide n seek

2010-12-16T12:59:00.001-08:00
this morning...

me:nani! what are you doing underneath the christmas tree?!
nani:orin's trying to find me. i'm a chrismas present!

and the winner is...

2010-11-29T13:00:00.000-08:00

sila's 1st place prize in the turkey trot for 1st grade girls. congratulations sila!!!and the turkey was de-licious:)thanks for running your big heart out sila girl!

{mese also participated in turkey trot. he started out great & in front. then he fell:( but, he shot right back up and kept running:)he ended in 7th place and we're so thrilled:) great job mese!!!}

squish away

2010-11-16T16:32:00.001-08:00
nani to luana...

nani: luana! you're so cute, i just want to squish you to pieces!

my heart's duet

2010-11-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

he's the wind beneath my wings. he's my better half. he's the air i breathe. he's the song i love to sing. he's the one i want and have always wanted. he's the icing on the cake. he's the filling in an oreo cookie. he's my favorite part of every day. he's the man of my dreams that came true. he's my husband. he's my friend. he's the father of my children. he's the only one i'll ever want and need. he's my knight in shining armor. he's my hero. he's my one & only true love.

happy birthday honey. i love you.

nani yuvonne, age 4

2010-10-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

last thursday our nani girl turned 4!!!! she was elated to say the least and she's so excited to be 4 like the rest of her sunbeam classmates at church. nani was my only child that came "on time", just 2 days before her duedate. and she was a tiny little thing, weighing in at 5lbs. 3oz. mason & i didn't even realize just how small she was until shawn & darcy came to visit me in the hospital where shawn says to mason & i, "guys...she's TINY!" i suppose almost getting lost in his elbow should've given us a clue. but something else that stands out in my memory was when i first put her over my shoulder to hold her, she REFUSED to lay her head down! she looked all around her and would not put her head down. i guess she wanted to see exactly where the heck she was. we love that little girl and we can't imagine life without her-happy birthday you little peanut. we love you nani!

4 things we love about nani:
1) she always has something funny to say...(nani to luana) "luana!get up out of my grill!!!"
2) her favorite color is violet.
3) mason's dubbed her "cuddle bunny" because she's quite the cuddler.
4) she's far too creative...she comes up with all sorts of reasons why she can't do anything involving physical labor. (she so didn't get that from me)

happy 4th birthday nani!!!!

mason & melina plus...5

2010-10-18T17:40:00.000-07:00
i know it's not 8 but 5 is a great number for us! we're so excited to be adding another little one to our family, due relatively around early june or july. i'm very nauseated:( and very exhausted all day long:( but...i couldn't be happier:) the kids are convinced little tau will be joining our family soon:) we're so grateful to have this blessing in our lives.

watch out

2010-10-08T09:35:00.000-07:00
the turkey trot is fast approaching and here at the patterson household, training has already begun!sila will be defending her title of last year's turkey trot 1st place winner for kindergarten girls!(so you can see why practice is in order:) mason started training the kids last week. he takes them down to the track at the old banning high school(nicolet middle school now) and they run, walk, do bleachers, run some more, and do lines. they try and get out to the track 3 times a week and last night i had the joy of watching them work hard...and i ran a bit myself. not too much, but a bit. so, come November everyone better look out for those patterson kids cause they're in it to win it. (and coach/dad really wants 2 turkeys this thanksgiving). GO MESE & SILA!!!

recap

2010-09-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

all right patterson fans! it's time for our summer 2010 recap.

we had lots of big plans for summer 2010 and frankly, we did mostly everything we wanted to do-except for visit grandma & grandpa in st. george:( but lucky for us, they came to banning:) we had a B-L-A-S-T!
*twice, and some weeks, three times we visited our local library where the kids got their very own library card...they were tickled! they were even more excited when they found out they could check out 15 books. nice! they entered the library's summer reading program and did wonderfully.
*july was lovely! lots of sun-mostly at the beach and the beach trips lasted throughout august as well.
*visited cabrillo aquamarine museum, san pedro harbor(yummy food), and alpine village(yummy german food and delectable mille feuilles)
*visited idyllwild discovery center and mason took kids on a hike.
*took the kids to knott's berry farm(except for lu)oh how i love me some funnel cake!
*july 13-mese's 8th birthday and he's officially a CUBSCOUT!
*july 31 mese was baptized and what a special day that was for him and all of us!
*aug. 26 kids started school. mese 3rd grade. sila 1st grade. and i began watching orin & brody(nani and luana help of course:)
*aug. 28 our annual banning ward luau...way too much fun!

hope your summer was just as fun!

daily rituals...for some

2010-09-22T15:37:00.000-07:00
this morning...

me:nani! did you brush your teeth today?
nani:uh...no.
sila: ewww nani! you have to brush your teeth EVERY DAY!
mese: yeah, you don't want your teeth to turn yellow like DAD'S!
sila: yeah, cuz he NEVER brushes his teeth.
mese: yep.

jackpot

2010-09-16T12:39:00.000-07:00

laundry can sometimes be a mundane, annoying, neverending chore. but on days like today, it can be rewarding. hello mr. hamilton! btw: can you guess whose pockets i found all of this in? hint: i didn't give birth to this person.

spring photos

2010-09-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

back in the spring, we did our family photo shoot with the talented darcy patterson, my sister in law and her lovely assistant, johanna. here are some of my favorites.

opposite of fun

2010-09-10T13:55:00.000-07:00
this morning i went to see the dentist. that's right. i got my weekend off to a great start(note the sarcasm here). i tried a new dr. why, you ask? because my last dentist, well...let's put it this way. mason & i nicknamed her "the butcher". enough said. this new dentist is much nicer,friendlier,gentler, and better than the former. however, upon checking out of his office the receptionist handed me a copy of my "treatment case". boy, do i need a lot of treatments! i need one tooth pulled, 2 fillings, a root canal, and i need to glue the crown on a tooth that came out months ago, but i was too scared to go back to "the butcher". all in all, we'll be starting our savings plan for my pearly whites real soon...like yesterday. have a good weekend everyone!

for now...what do you think?

2010-08-27T12:21:00.000-07:00
while i'm still working on my summer 2010 post(it's taking a while), i thought i'd pose a question. i'm currently reading 4 different books and i'd like to know if any of you have read them and what do you think about them. your opinions would be greatly appreciated!
here they are in no particular order:
*eat, nap, play: how to get even more out of your child's day for less
*french women don't get fat:the secret of eating for pleasure
*marry him: the case for settling for mr. good enough
*raising happiness: 10 simple steps for more joyful kids and happier parents
thanks in advance:)

still kicking

2010-08-05T23:05:00.000-07:00
hello hello! just wanted to let you know(in case you were wondering) we're still alive and well...just enjoying life, summer, and vacation:) but i've got lots of photos to share and i'll be posting them soon(meaning some time in the next week:) i'm hopeful! hope you're all enjoying a cramazing(my new favorite word right now= crazy + amazing) summer!!!

my first born

2010-07-19T16:36:00.000-07:00
mese turned 8 on july 13. 8 is an especially important birthday because mese's being baptized. he's so excited and he's looking forward to seeing all our family and friends come out to support him on his special day. i can hardly control my tears as i'm typing this. i feel in someways mese was our guinea pig-heck, we didn't know exactly how to raise a child and we're still learning. thankfully, children are quite forgiving and we're so blessed beyond measure with the children we have. we're also thankful for friends and family who have constantly supported our growing family through the years. one instance in particular that really helped me when i was a new mother was a phone call i received from grace. mason and i had been married just over a year when mese was born. mason took only 1 day off from work which left me alone with a brand new baby. i remember sitting on the couch, holding mese in my arms and watching mason walk out the door, on his way to work on 3 hrs. of sleep. the door closed. i cried like a baby. i looked down at mese and thought, "what am i going to do? i can't take care of you all by myself. is everything going to be ok?" i kept crying. then later that day, i got a phone call from grace, mason's cousin. i don't know what it was about her phone call that made all the difference for me, but it did. she reassured me that mese's ok and he'll stay that way. baby's are easy, he'll let me know when he wants something...just don't worry. it's going to be o.k. since then, i've never looked back. sure i have my doubts about my own weaknesses of being a mother but, i know as long as i keep trying the do the best i can in raising good children, like grace said, it's going to be o.k. ...and i believe it. happy birthday mese!!! we love you and we're so happy that you work hard to do what's right and be a good example for our family and you're a super big brother to your sisters-they love you too. so, thanks grace. thanks family and friends. and thanks mese for being our sweet guinea pig:) we love you tons!

82

2010-07-02T16:18:00.001-07:00
that's how hot it's been in my house this summer. yes, thanks to last year's electric bill of $350, we'll definately be sweating it out a bit this summer. don't worry, we have 2 tower fans in use and there are ceiling fans in all the bedrooms-they're our saving grace. of course, we had to make some exceptions...sundays we keep air on when we get back from church and when we have guests over. so, please don't hesitate to stop by this summer, we will turn the air on for you... we're not that cruel:) happy summer everyone!

it's over

2010-06-30T15:24:00.000-07:00
yes, me & bejeweled, family feud(via facebook) are through! they did me wrong, in the way of infecting my poor computer with a nasty(and i mean nasty) virus. so, it's good bye forever to those two. we can no longer be friends. it's harsh, but i need my computer for a lot more important matters than that. it's so nice to be on-line again and thanks to our friend andrew for cleaning our girl up! it's good to be back.

summer...oh how we love thee

2010-06-16T13:50:00.000-07:00
or try to anyway. everyone who knows me, knows that i DO NOT like the sun-don't want it on me at any time. i know-i AM samoan and my people are from the sun,right? whatever, i don't like it. i'd much prefer the winter, spring, anything but hot,blazing, make me sweat sun. so, tomorrow starts our first of many beach trips and i have to say...i'm excited! not because i like the sun...oh no, because i like listening to the ocean waves as i sit in my chair under the umbrella sipping a diet coke and snacking on my mango. oh yes...it's summertime at the patterson house and we're loving it.

nani & sila...hula dancers

2010-06-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

here are the girls all dolled up ready to perform at the 'walk for a cure' cancer fundraiser this past spring. the girls have been dancing a little while now and LOVIN it.

kinda?

2010-05-31T23:08:00.000-07:00
conversation at breakfast this morning.

mese:(speaking to his sisters and cousins) do you know what "sitting on top of the world" means?

kids:no.

mese: it means that your life is great!

me: so mese...are you "sitting on top of the world"?

mese:hmmm...kinda! (as he's stuffing his face with the pancakes-from scratch i just made him with fresh whipped cream & strawberries.)

unbelievable.

luxuries

2010-05-23T22:06:00.000-07:00
this morning as we're finishing up breakfast and getting ready for church, i'm in my room and mason and kids are in the kitchen. mese wants some orange juice.

mese: dad, can i have some orange juice?
dad: what?
sila: mese! you can't have orange juice...you got to get a JOB!
mason: (chuckling to himself) that's right son. sila said it right. you want orange juice, you got to get a job!

our children have been taught(mostly by their father) that there are certain luxuries in life that until they are old enough to purchase themselves, they will not be free-loading off of us...i know, it sounds harsh. although i would like to point out that orange juice is a rare occasion in our house(this jug of juice we got from big mese), we do let the kids have a cup-but anything more-no. don't want them to get used to it:) and, looks like sila's getting the gist of what we're saying with the whole job thing too.

i heard it

2010-05-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

i don't know about you, but i've always heard of people walking into a place, a store and seeing something that made them think 'i need that' or 'i want that' or 'i have to have it'. no such thing has ever happened to me until now. i think it was the nicely squared bold red box that caught my eye. or maybe it was the larger than life size cherries on the box. whatever it was, i had to have it! cherries & almonds in cereal? how could you go wrong with that combo? and let me tell you, every bite was filled with cherry & almond deliciousness:)

the end

2010-05-13T12:35:00.000-07:00
may 4 was the end of our 12 week body-for-life program. here are some things i learned.

*12 weeks is a long time
*i really do like food(i already knew that but realized it again)
*even though i really like food, it's just food.
*water is always good
*exercise is my friend
*running isn't as bad as i thought it was
*i like the way i feel when i'm eating right & exercising

conclusion: it was a good 12 weeks. sure i made plenty of mistakes in the way of eating, but for the most part, it was good because i started something and finished it-something i hadn't done before with food & exercise. so, what's next? i keep working on eating better, exercising, and working hard. AND the biggest and best part of all this? i was able to get myself to where i could take up polynesian dancing again!!! that's such a big plus for me as i just absolutely LOVE it. thanks bill philips!

all in favor

2010-05-06T12:07:00.000-07:00
yesterday afternoon,the kids were watching "kung fu panda". i joined them on the couch just as po(the panda)was eating the peaches from the sacred peach tree. the turtle guy talks to him and gives him advice. of course, po is not so sure about his own capabilities and doubts himself. po then looks down at his large belly and shakes it(it's bouncing up & down, up & down...) then he rests his hand on his belly in order to stop the bouncing. the following observation took place.

mese: yeah...that's just like dad's belly.

i look over at mese-half surprised at his comment, half not so surprised at his comment. and i glance at sila's face, her head nodding in full agreement with the above staement.

kids. they're so observant.

monday morning

2010-05-03T09:46:00.000-07:00
nani:mom, can i go outside and blow the bubbles?
me:yes, after you pick up everything in your room.
nani:but i need sila's help!
me:you're a big girl, you can do it!

10 minutes later...

nani:mom! can i go blow bubbles now? my room's clean.
me:what?!i have to come and see nani!
nani: yeah, come look mom!
me:WOW NANI! the floor is so clean! where did you put everything?
nani:oh, i shoved everything under my bed...cause that's how i clean my room.

at least she's honest about it.

excuse me!?!

2010-04-20T12:59:00.000-07:00
yesterday the kids were discussing mother's day gifts they'd like to give me this year. they started talking about how much money they each had. mese received a 2 dollar bill from his birthday buddy ge(johanna's mom)for his birthday last year and has been saving it.

mese: mom, i have $2 remember? from ge!
me: oh yes, that's right.
mese: yeah, but i'm going to save it for a long time.
me: that's good.
mese: yeah, i'm going to save it til i'm 31.
me: oh? why 31? what's so special about 31?
mese: i'll probably be dead at that time(it's soooooooo old)
me: what!?! you think 31 is old?
mese: oh yeah! i'll probably need a walker then cause my back will be hurting so bad too.

boy, he must think mason and i are dinosaurs! or maybe cats...we must have 9 lives cause we're still alive and well past the ripe old age of 31!

lesson learned

2010-04-12T20:59:00.000-07:00
we've noticed lately that when our kids pray, they say the same things over and over again. we told them it's ok to pray for other things besides the usual stuff like family, safety etc. and it's ok to give thanks for other blessings we receive. the lesson being, let's try a little harder to think of others. with that said, mese's request during family prayer this morning was a bit insightful.

mese: "...and bless us(the kids) that we'll listen to mom...so she won't be angry."

wow.

9

2010-04-08T15:19:00.000-07:00
last night mason & i went out for dinner to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary. it didn't start out good. we drove out to palm desert, indio, and everything else out there but rancho mirage-we were looking for the darn cheesecake factory in rancho mirage and neither of us could remember just how far down the 111 it was! both of us were hungry & tired so that didn't help. i think after about 2 hrs. of driving i texted carrie and told her this was the worst date ever-emphasize ever. luckily, we found it and had the joy of waiting about 25 mins. for a table. that's ok because right next to it was the rocky mtn. chocolate factory where i purchased appetizers-almond cluster for me and peanut butter bucket for mason with a diet coke of course. the dinner was delicious and then we walked around to look at the shops-wasn't much to look at though. we headed home and i have to say, it turned out to be a lovely evening afterall-bad start, good finish i suppose. i guess it could've been a lot worse,right? anyway, i want to tell you all how much i absolutely love and adore my husband and i'm looking forward to the next 9+ (ok i'll just say it) eternity with him:) happy anniversary honey. i love you.

celebrate!

2010-04-01T14:28:00.000-07:00
easter is close upon us and i decided that i'm going to make sugar cookies-for easter and every major holiday. why not? my family enjoys them and the kids love helping me decorate them so why not!:) and so what that they are a bit time consuming and have lots of butter in them, and the frosting is just scrumptious. so there you go. can't wait for independence day-red, white, and blue here i come! ok, maybe mason will get some cookies for father's day-maybe.

no more drama

2010-03-25T14:22:00.000-07:00
i'm sure upon reading the title of this post you had no inkling that this would even have to do with my girls:) not sure if anyone else out there encounters similar occurences with their girls(or boys)but as mason likes to put it, our girls are drama!(aka emotional to the most possible extent of the word)last night sila was given specific instructions not to do something(can't remember) and she disobeyed. mason sent her to her room for the rest of the night-to her dismay. she kicked and screamed on the way to her room where she elevated the already intense situation to the...yes,next level.

sila: oohhhhhhhhh!!! i can't even BREATHE!!!!!!!
mom: uh huh...you're allright...you can breathe...
sila: no...i...CAN'T!!! you just want me to DIE!!!

mason and i looked at each other and mason asked me if she had a nap this week to which i replied, "no".
there you go.

today's to do list:
1) nap for sila
2) nap for sila
3) nap for sila
you get the picture.

too much

2010-03-23T13:38:00.000-07:00
laundry. i have too much laundry to do. i've been doing a minimum of 3-5 loads a day for the last 3 days and i see no end in sight. what the heck!? maybe i should just give the kids(and mason) 7 pairs of shirts, pants, socks, underwear and call it good.

new record

2010-03-14T14:35:00.000-07:00
mese had his second to last basketball game yesterday. score was 40-10,mese's team won. he broke his own record for number of points scored in a single game by shooting 9 baskets for 18 points yesterday! he was so excited-even though he did tell us before the game that his goal would be 13 baskets...what can i say? he's ambitious. GO MESE!!!

halfway mark

2010-03-14T14:26:00.000-07:00
tomorrow marks the halfway point of my goal to a better, healthier life. progress? it's been slow but steady. after the first week, the next 3 weeks were rocky and then i kept teetering the week after that. however, i'm happy to say that i haven't done too badly and i'm ready to start anew! i'm enjoying exercise-which i've NEVER experienced before and never thought i would. but i'm feeling optimistic about the next 6 weeks and i know it'll be all right. i have a fabulous support group and i figure it can only get better.

record

2010-03-06T13:42:00.000-08:00
today mese scored 16 pts. in his basketball game, winning 26-46. it's a new record for him. this time, he didn't try to shoot a 3 pointer:) GO LIGHTNING!

great

2010-03-02T09:37:00.000-08:00
yesterday morning at breakfast...

nani: mom, i'm going to eat all my yogurt so i can have a big belly like you and dad!

great.

unexpected

2010-02-19T08:08:00.000-08:00
yesterday luana went in for her 9 month check-up. the kids are on break from school for the week so i had all 4 with me...yeah, i know...fun. luana of course was getting some shots but imagine the utter shock of mese, sila, and nani when i asked about the 2nd dose of h1n1 shots...oh boy, what a treat.i offered each child a crisp, $5 bill if they shed no tears and didn't scream:) When asked who should go first, the vote was unanimous...luana(so sad her bro. and sisters volunteered the one who couldn't fend for herself). She was a trooper and only cried after the 2nd shot while sila cried from the get go...up until she got the actual shot, then no tears at all & no screaming. Mese was brave and shed no tears and didn't scream so he's too is the new owner of $5. Nani on the other hand was terrified. when the nurse put the needle in her leg, she almost kicked the nurse and the h1n1 was squirting all over the place, so it seemed. But the nurse reassured me that it was fine. so, each of the kids got a lollipop and only 2 got $5. moral of the story...start small, now i'm out $10 instead of $2.

1 down...11 to go

2010-02-12T22:08:00.000-08:00
this was week 1 on the body for life program and i learned some things about myself that i never thought i'd discover...
1. i CAN run.
2. i CAN go without chocolate(although i'm welcoming it gladly on free days:)
3. i am ENJOYING exercise for the first time in my life.(and i hope it lasts)
it's been a good week for sure.

here we go!

2010-02-08T20:42:00.001-08:00
i don't even know if i should do this...what the heck!? today, is day #1 of the next 12 weeks for me(and carrie:) we are doing body 4 life. i'm ready. i'm excited. i'm anxious. i'm hopeful. and it's only day 1!

day 1 highlight: working my upper body and not quitting. yoplait's non-fat berries & cream yogurt...mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

come on day 2!

wow

2010-02-01T16:11:00.000-08:00
i was in my room getting ready for the day when i heard...

nani: dad, are you a ninja?
dad: oh yes i am!...oh no....a JEDI! yes, i'm a JEDI!
nani: oh.

oh my! someone is sorely mistaken...

so not good

2010-01-29T13:56:00.000-08:00
i was boiling potatoes & eggs for potatoe salad-had tri-tip in crock pot-and started mixing batter for blueberry sour cream poundcake, when i realized it was past time to pick-up mese & sila from school...shoot! i grabbed the girls who had been napping(yeah, not fun) and rushed into garage, into van. unfortunately in my haste, i thought i had cleared the garage door...but i didn't. yes-i hit the garage door...with my van! i got out to see the damage and it looked pretty bad. i called mason at work who, at that moment, was experiencing a mild crisis that he needed to handle just then. well, i convinced him that mine was worse-and i couldn't get the van out to pick up the kids! so, i called carrie to get kids from school while i waited for mason to get home and assess the damage. meanwhile, i texted shawn and he came to my rescue-thankfully. he managed to fix the garage door! it closes and he even put the rail thing at the bottom back on. oh my it could've been so so bad. thanks to shawn for helping!!!

p.s. i will not back out of garage til the garage door is completely open. i will not back out of garage til the garage door is completely open. i will not back out of garage til the garage door is completely open. i will not back out of garage...

50 min. time-out

2010-01-28T14:17:00.000-08:00
yep. that's right...50 mins. that's how long i sat,last night in my van, parked in my garage(engine off, of course) while i sent my daughters in for bed. they got themselves ready with pj's on and reluctantly got into their beds while i waited(only a few mins.)for mason to get home with mese from basketball practice to make sure girls were not getting out of their room.oh-you'd think the world was coming to an end!
sila:what? we're not reading scriptures?
nani: what about prayers?
sila: we didn't even get a drink of water dad!
nani: i need some water dad!
poor mason. i'd had it at that point and told him i wasn't coming out of the van until the girls were done crying and whining. so it took them 50 mins. but they did it. they stopped-thank everything!
and yes, we did read scriptures and say prayers. and i was so merciful, i even gave them a drink of water. today's going to be better...i know it.

#7

2010-01-27T10:55:00.000-08:00
that's mese's jersey number on his basketball team. t-shirts are baby blue and they call themselves "lightening". they had their first game last saturday and it was AWESOME!they're a good team and they had lots of fun. final score was 32-4 and mese scored 12 pts. mason was sooooooooooooo elated:) the cute thing was, every time after mese made a shot, he'd start running down to the other basket trying ever so hard not to smile(but he couldn't help it)so he'd wipe his face with his hands-i guess trying to wipe the smile off:) it was too cute and mason & i couldn't help but laugh. so, looks like we may have a basketball player in this family after all.
GO LIGHTENING!!!

not letting up

2010-01-21T13:37:00.000-08:00
today marlowe came over for a long awaited playdate with nani. these girls are so fun and they're even funner together! i love listening to their take on life and what's happening in their families.

nani: marlowe! we're going to have 5 babies in our family.
marlowe: 5!?
nani: yes, tau is coming, but he's up in heaven with jesus.
marlowe: what?
nani: he's going to come and then there's gonna be 5!

good to know...again.

dixie

2010-01-19T21:06:00.000-08:00
today is my mother in law's birthday. there are just way too many good and wonderful things i can say about this woman, but i'll just mention a few.
soon after i had my son mese, my mom left for samoa(so much more drama that goes with that, but it's a whole other story). i had no idea what to do and how to be a good mother.i didn't know what to expect. but dixie was right there, helping me, guiding me, and helped me to see that yes, i was going to make it.
i've never seen our kids so anxious(you'd think they were going to disneyland) as they are when grandma's coming to visit or when we're going to grandma's. my kids LOVE their grandma dixie. in fact, mese wrote a story about how his most favorite place is grandma's:)
and of course, i am married to the most wonderful man i know. although i love my father in law and think he's pretty neat, i can't help but think that my husband is the man he is,largely because of his mother.
so,today i'm especially grateful for dixie. thanks for taking such good care of us and always making me feel loved and welcomed. happy happy birthday, we love you lots!!!

a lot

2010-01-12T10:27:00.000-08:00
me: nani, i love you!
nani: i love you too mom.
me: how much?
nani: fourteen eight!

that means a lot in nani's language...she usually says 2 or 4.

2010-01-10T22:14:00.000-08:00

Sila Patterson, new Jordans, future Lady Bronco

34

2010-01-08T13:30:00.000-08:00
wednesday started out great! mason was the first to wish me happy birthday, then the children all piled in my room to wish me happy birthday(and remind dad that they didn't wrap my presents yet:) so off they all went to wrap them in the kitchen while i waited. they showered me with all of my favorite things: mud mask, lemonhead chapstick, chocolate bar w/hazelnuts, foot scrub and michael buble's latest cd. carrie surprised me with flowers and balloons & she treated me to lunch. erica dropped off treats-and yes, i did share:) i received several texts, phone calls, & messages via facebook with birthday wishes. then nia & daniel watched our kids while mason treated me to sushi...mmmmm. i had a fabulous birthday! thank you to all my wonderful friends & family for making me feel so very special on my birthday-i love you all!

i couldn't resist

2010-01-01T09:55:00.001-08:00
anyone who knows nani, knows her infatuation/obsession with flying...yes, flying. one of her favorite songs is "i believe i can fly". anyway, imagine her delight when her cousins gave her some fairy wings along with a headband, for christmas. she was pretty stoked. she wears the wings quite often. anyway, we're getting ready to leave for the park yesterday and nani rushes into the living room with wings attached.

me:nani! you can't wear your wings to the park.
nani:but mom! how am i going to fly?!

could YOU say no?

fyi

2009-12-30T14:43:00.000-08:00
mars bar is back. just thought you wanted to know.

his kids

2009-12-20T14:24:00.000-08:00
nani was singing fragments to a song unfamiliar to me and as hard as i tried to understand what she was saying, i just couldn't. so i asked mese.

me: mese. what's nani singing?
mese: she's singing..."and away goes trouble down the drain!"
me: what? where'd she get that from?
mese: you know mom...it's that song from dad's "funk generation" cd!

they are SO mason's kids.

christmas on the brain

2009-12-11T12:22:00.000-08:00
i absolutely LOVE this time of year! everyone is a little nicer, kinder, happier, friendlier. we've been trying to do a better job of teaching our children the true meaning of christmas. every night we've been reading stories of jesus out of the scriptures and we sing many christmas songs/hymns. it's been quite nice. but you never know if they really understand. so went our conversation yesterday.
mese: mom, can we buy some carrots? a BIG bag?
mom: uh yeah. i need to get some anyway for the cake i'm baking. why?
mese: i was just thinking...the reindeers work hard too and they might like a snack.
mom: i think you're right! that is a good idea mese:)

sila must have been concerned about santa's beverage and asked if we could put some soda out for the big guy. why not? it's christmas!

kid conversations

2009-12-03T10:38:00.000-08:00
george michael's "last christmas" is playing in the background and the kids are singing along to it..."last christmas, i gave you my heart. but the very next day, you gave it away. this year to stop me from tears, i'll give it to someone special."

mese: i guess that means he's giving it to santa.
sila:NO!
mese: uh huh! santa is special.
sila:NO MESE! a boy can't marry a boy!
mese: well...santa IS special.

alive & kickin

2009-11-30T12:52:00.000-08:00
WE'RE BACK! and we're so glad. we had a fantastic thanksgiving week with mason's parents & family in st. george. we had a potentially major setback on the way there, but we're well and so is our van...YAY! we laughed, we cried(mostly me), we ate(boy, did we...and it was so good), we enjoyed spending time with loved ones and reflecting on our many blessings. thanks to mason's parents for always being so kind and super generous to our family. they are very gracious hosts and we always find it hard to leave them. the kids had a fun time with their cousins and grandma & grandpa. they too find it hard to leave them:) sila cried...i'm afraid she takes after me in that dept. we're thankful for the good time we had and looking forward to this next holiday when we celebrate christ's birth-i just love it! don't you?

on your mark...get set...GO!

2009-11-19T22:13:00.000-08:00
today mese & sila participated in their school's turkey trot-a running race. each grade level runs a measured distance. for example, kindergarten ran 50 yards, 1st grade ran 100 yards and so forth. each grade level was grouped according to gender. so sila ran against all other kinder girls and mese ran against all 2nd grade boys. it started with kindergarten girls so sila was the first group to run. she was SO excited and could hardly contain herself-too cute;) but when they gave the signal to start running, running was exactly what she did. nia & i were yelling,"GO SILA!" and mason was cheering her on as well. we watched and cheered and before we knew it, there was sila off in the forefront ahead of all the girls! we kept cheering and screaming her name, she even turned once to look at us-oops. but we kept yelling at her to keep going to the end. there was one girl just behind her so we weren't real sure if sila had won, so we waited for the announcement. then it came,"in first place for kindergarten girls...SILA PATTERSON!". mason & i looked at each other and we were ecstatic! and yes, even a little teary eyed(me):) i was so proud of her. she came home with her trophy...a 20 lb. turkey. that's our sila girl.
mese's race was fun. he started out behind a large group of boys, then he even stopped a moment, so as not to fall onto the boys in front of him. he then proceeded to make his way around the outside and tried ever so hard to catch up with the boys ahead of him. he ran his heart out and made 6th place. we cheered him on all the way to the end and he was pretty happy with his outcome...what a good boy:) we are so proud of our children and glad that they had fun running the turkey trot. when i went to pick the kids up from school, mese was helping(basically all by himself)sila carry her 20lb. turkey-what a strong boy he is! he even asked me,"how much does that turkey weigh mom?" he gave a quite "satisfied & impressed" look as i answered "20lbs.". too funny. we celebrated with waffles for dinner & ice cream for dessert-what a way to end our fun day with the kids. GO PATTERSONS!!!

oh no!

2009-11-17T10:58:00.000-08:00
mese & sila in school...luana in bed asleep...i asked nani, "hey, what do you want to do? you have my full attention nani, so what it is? what do YOU want to do?" i said it with much enthusiasm. she replied, with just as much enthusiasm, "EAT!".

what have i taught my daughter?

merci, danke, fa'afetai, gracias...

2009-11-16T12:43:00.000-08:00
today i'm feeling especially grateful for so much in my life. looking at my wordly posessions, one would easily conclude that i'm lacking a lot. heck, according to the government, i'm down right poor! but as i sit here typing this post, i'm in my beautiful comfy home. i'm staring at the food on our dining room table. my girls are sleeping in their beds. they are warm. mese & sila are in school getting an education and developing their love for learning. i made them lunch that they took with them. they'll eat it and be satisfied. i woke up this morning and had a shower, a warm shower. i got in my van this morning and took the kids to school. mason took his car to work this morning. he went to work like he does every morning because he is our provider. he takes care of us. now, i'm thinking about what i should make for dinner...i love the fact that i even have that option. the sun is shining through the blinds from my window and i can feel its warmth. it feels good. and i am thankful. i remember the first time i wore glasses. it was 6th grade. i put the glasses on and something happened. i could SEE! i remember looking at a leaf on a tree and noticing all the lines on the leaf. i had never noticed before or even knew leaves had lines. but now i knew and i was grateful. here's what i'm thankful for:
friends,family,mason(he deserves a post all his own:), my 4 joys:mese,sila,nani, & luana, gospel,nature,food/water, health, 2 working vehicles, vaccum, dishwasher,stove,fridge, phone, house, music, reading, good books, mason's job, my kids' teachers, veterans and so much much much more. so, what are you epecially thankful for?

favorite

2009-11-15T00:17:00.000-08:00
mese: dad? when are we going to grandma's house?
mason: uhhh...either sunday after church or monday.
mese: can we go sunday after church? then i can have 6 days of pancakes at grandma's!

this kid(and the girls)love them some grandma:) and her pancakes are supreme!

bon appetite

2009-11-12T22:46:00.000-08:00
today i was super busy with getting things ready for our stake primary meeting tonight. i had to type up lists, print out pages off internet, make lots of copies, and to top it all off, make bread for refreshments. i got everything done in time but i neglected to make some grub for my family. so...they had bread for dinner...and they were THRILLED! i felt badly because i thought, "just bread?" so i told them to put some jam & peanut butter on it and call it good. they didn't complain. i'll do better tomorrow.

p.s. i was also dealing with a super baby(she hardly even cried) after getting 3 immunization shots, 1 oral immunization, 1 flu shot, & 1 H1N1 shot...she was such a trooper my luana girl:)

monday

2009-11-05T09:52:00.000-08:00
mese:sila, do you know what stars are made of?
sila:no.
mese: they're made of gas...i think it's the gas you put in your car.
sila: no, i think it's the gas that comes out of your bottom.

birthday surprise!

2009-11-05T09:22:00.001-08:00
tuesday was mason's birthday and we've been planning it for the last several months...we got the kids ready for school and the 2 youngest ready for nia(thanks nia). we dropped nani & luana off at nia's then mason & i took sila & mese to their "dr. appt. for te 2nd dose of swinr flu vaccination" ...in anaheim...to the happiest place on earth...yes...we surprised them and took them to DISNEYLAND! oh it was so fun to see their faces when they realized we weren't joking with them and we were really going to disneyland:) the first thing sila said was,"awwww...i wish nani was here". i felt sad for a second-but just a second. don't worry, the kids picked out the biggest lollipop with princesses on it for nani and a snow white w/7 dwarfs play set(which she absolutely loved). we went on every ride we could get on. we had so much fun and the kids had a blast just seeing everything and all the disney characters. i'm so glad we took them. and yes, i'm glad we went there to celebrate mason's 33rd birthday. we love you mason and happy happy happy birthday honey!

*sidenote: this was our first trip together to disneyland(mason & i) since 1994, yes 15 years ago when we went together on a date with mese&jenny,tiare & zeth. that was a most dreadful day! and i'm glad to say that this time was much more pleasant:) 15 years ago on that trip mason bought me a pair of mickey mouse earrings. tuesday i wore them and that's the first thing sila noticed:) i hoped she wouldn't figure out anything...so glad she didn't;)

9:18 a.m.

2009-10-31T23:15:00.000-07:00
that's when i woke up this morning!!!!! i was a very happy & grateful woman-thanks to my super husband for taking all the kids out of the house this morning while i slept in. what a way to start my saturday-woooohooooo!!!

a picture says a thousand words...

2009-10-30T10:53:00.000-07:00
and unfortunately, we have no pictures to show!(just in case you were wondering what happened to the pics. on this blog) our daughter, (won't mention which one, but i think you can guess:) in retrieving the camera from the van, returned with it b-r-o-k-e-n. that's right, BROKEN! she had opened it up then shoved the lens back in-mason & daniel tried to fix it but sadly, it was finished. so until we can get enough money to buy another one, there will be no pictures on this blog, sad i know. just use your imagination!

grapes, kool-aid, barney

2009-10-26T23:07:00.000-07:00
today...
me:nani, let me see your eyes. what color are they?
nani:uuhhhh...i don't know.
me:they're brown!
nani:i don't WANT brown eyes! i want PURPLE!!!

she's quite pationate about that color.

no. 3

2009-10-21T12:51:00.000-07:00
nani yuvonne patterson, age 3...TODAY!!! she woke up to the smell of yummy blueberry pancakes, courtesy of dad. nia & daniel left a present for her to open this morning-a princess camera(a necessity of course). other gifts included: drawing of spongebob from mese, drawing of sorts from sila, and a snow white hair wig from mese,sila & luana. she was pretty excited about all the gifts. she did ask mese & sila,"how old am i now?" i think she has a hard time saying 3 because she keeps telling everyone she's 4. so... who is nani girl?
LOVES to talk(she really can talk your ear off if you let her)
the most polite child i've ever known(i think she enjoys saying "please" & "thank you")
likes the color purple, sometimes pink
prefers twinkies(with strawberry cream) over chocolate cupcake
likes gum
enjoys watching movies with her bro. & sister
doesn't like to wear hair pretties
loves to wear dresses & skirts(her clothing of choice)
very independent when it comes to getting herself dressed & putting shoes on, and putting on her seatbelt
loves to sing
we love you nani and we're so thankful you're part of our family! happy birthday big girl:)

if only...

2009-10-16T13:46:00.000-07:00
i dropped the kids off at school yesterday then headed to post office to mail a bill. nani asked me where we were going and the following conversation took place.
me: we're going to the post office to mail a bill.
nani: i can do it mom! i'm a big girl!
me:i know you're a big girl but we're just going to drive up to the mailbox and put it in.
nani:but mom, i'm a big girl and if somebody tries to take me, i can flick my hair pretty at them and they're gonna be dead!

if only...or maybe she has lots of faith.

oooh october! pumpkins, candy corn, swine flu?

2009-10-14T22:10:00.000-07:00
yes, we are waiting for the now popular swine flu shots. our children have had the seasonal flu shots and now with all the hoop-la(and scare on my part) we're having the kids get the swine flu shots. not to mention, we know people who have gotten it, a little scary. thankfully, everyone's doing better and recovering well. i'm trying not to be freaked out about it all, however, that's easier said than done, especially with 4 young children including 2 who go to school where germs of all kinds are in abundance:) but mason assures me that it'll be ok. he'd better be right...this time for sure.

amour

2009-10-06T11:52:00.000-07:00
every morning we(nani,luana,and i) drop mese & sila off at school. we send them off with the usual, "i love you" & "have a good day". we dropped them off yesterday morning and as we drove off, nani says to me, "i love those kids!" my thoughts? i love them too.

it's here!

2009-10-02T10:05:00.000-07:00
FALL! which means...cooler weather:) case in point, i woke up this morning, looked at the thermostat in the hall:68 degrees!!! without the a/c...oh i'm so happy:)

not just a tablecloth

2009-09-30T14:53:00.000-07:00
went to pick up mese & sila from school today and imagine my alarm when i took luana out of her carseat to find...you guessed it-POOP! it was all over her front and back, lucky me. i had no time to change her and i didn't have an extra onesie so nani helped me look for something, anything that i could wrap around her til we got home. and then we spotted the only thing we could use...my tablecloth. i was relieved to find it. of course, it too had poop smeared on it by the time i got home, but who cares. it served its purpose,right?

down to one...YES!

2009-09-29T23:12:00.000-07:00
that's right! luana is the only one in this household wearing diapers...nani girl is potty trained! the day after i gave up on the whole thing-she decided she wanted to do it on her own and...SHE DID! i'm sooooooooooo thrilled. now, if i can only get nani to stop talking back and telling me what she thinks-all the time!:) i know...too much to ask for.

it's official...

2009-09-22T23:37:00.000-07:00
WE HAVE THE FLU! well, nani has the flu so, as much as we LOVE to have friends and family over, on this particular occasion...PLEASE STAY AWAY!:) i mean it with all the love in my heart:) don't want anyone else getting sick. we'll certainly let you know when the coast is clear-i just hope luana doesn't get it-yikes.

please hurry!

2009-09-18T22:51:00.001-07:00
i wish fall was here. i just love the weather in the fall and the colors...even though i know they're way prettier on the east coast-but oh well. i can't wait much longer...and of course, stagecoach days is just around the corner! woooohoooo!:)

disbelief...kinda

2009-09-11T12:09:00.000-07:00
imagine my shock(sorta) when mason sat down with this(see picture to left of post). and the following conversation took place.
me:what is that?
mason:(without any hesitation) my cereal bowl!
me: mason! that's my mixing bowl! you can't eat cereal in my mixing bowl!
mason: this is a "man's bowl" and i'm eating my cereal in it!

the second picture to the left was taken to compare a "regular bowl" with a "man's bowl". i know...there's something definately wrong with that picture. someone please explain it to my husband.

no more water!

2009-09-09T13:05:00.000-07:00
we've been going back and forth on getting a new fridge. we've been looking at the one we want at our local best buy, but i can't seem to let go of that money...for a fridge. i know we need one because i'm tired of almost slipping on water that comes out the bottom-it's a huge hassle, not to mention dangerous. and the bottom drawers broke so our fridge is falling apart. anyway, mason saw "our fridge" on line for a much better price and where did he find it you may ask? best buy.com of course! so it looks like my kitchen floor may be water free afterall(from the fridge anyway:).

pt progress report

2009-09-02T12:41:00.000-07:00
nani's potty training(pt) progress report:
day 1: 1/4 she pee'd once in toilet...not so good.
day 2: 8/8!!! she pee'd in the toilet from morning til night...and yes, she even pooped, TWICE:)
day 3: so far, 3/3 including one poop-she's doing so well!

we're so proud of nani...i got her some big girl panties today at wal-mart. she can't wait to wear them. she even waited til we were almost done shopping to tell me she had to go potty. what a pro.

why didn't i think of that?

2009-08-30T21:00:00.000-07:00
this morning nani was asked to say the prayer. of course, she asked in her prayer that "tau" come for her birthday. and then the following conversation took place.

sila: nani! tau can't come to your birthday party!
nani: yes he can.
sila: no he can't. he's up in heaven.
nani: well jesus can walk him down to me!

duuhhh! why didn't i think of that? if only it were that easy, right.

birthday wish

2009-08-26T11:23:00.001-07:00
nani's birthday isn't for another 2 months but she let me know in advance what she wants. the conversation in the car yesterday went like this:

nani: mom, dad said he's going to get me "tau" for my birthday."
mom: dad said WHAT?
nani: he said, he's going to get me "tau" for my birthday because i asked him if i could have "tau" for my birthday and he said yes.
mom: oh nani. i don't think that's possible. how about something else?
nani: ok dad said i can have 4.

as i've mentioned in previous posts, "tau" is our baby boy that the kids are waiting for:) nani's just going to have to wait a little bit longer for that wish. and as for 4...don't know what that means but does it matter? 4 will be easier to get than "tau".

first day

2009-08-24T21:55:00.000-07:00
today was the first day of kindergarten for sila and the first day of second grade for mese. here are some highlights.

*sila described the first day as, "so FUN!".
*mese said his teacher was nice...but also strict. i asked him what strict meant and he said,"it means she's very serious."
*sila told us all about "jack" and how he talked back to the yard duty.
*mese was excited to get some cheez-its from his friend michael.
*sila went out for recess today and saw mese two times.
*mese said there were monkey bars only for 2nd graders.
*sila said she was the only one in her class that listened to the teacher...yeah, that sounds right:)
and lastly,
sila: mom! every single boy in class followed me today.
mom: oh yeah. why?
sila:uuhhhh, cause of my dress mom!

silly me. they had a great first day of school. as for nani, just one hour after dropping mese & sila off at school, she asked"can we go pick up mese & sila?" i take it she was bored with her mom. now let's see if the second day is just as great.

we did it...

2009-08-15T22:39:00.000-07:00
i never thought it would be me but yes, we did it. mason loaded the kids in the van while i was doing my usual locking up the house, grabbing this and that while on my way out the door. before i got in the van i told mason i was getting the mail. after getting the mail i got in the van and opened the much anticipated letter from sila's school, informing us of who her teacher would be. i read the letter aloud and waited for a response from sila...no response(meanwhile mason's driving away from the mailbox & house)i turn around to look back at sila and...no sila. "where's sila?!" i shout. and mese looks at me and says, "she's not here!" then i glare at mason and ask,"where's sila?! YOU LEFT HER?" because of course, it was his fault:) so we put the van in reverse,open the garage door and i race in the house to find sila sound asleep in her bed. i know what you're thinking...but at least she was safe,right? i still can't believe we did that.

and...

2009-08-10T12:58:00.000-07:00
WE'RE BACK!!! we've been gone for the last week and a half to idaho/utah for a family reunion/vacation and it was FABULOUS! we had so much fun with all the cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends, etc. and we'll be posting pics. soon. but just wanted to let you know we're here, and it's good to be here:) have a super monday everyone!