Girl's Camp 2012

It's so much work and it's so hard to spend a week in a tent, but it is always worth it. I had a great year at Girl's Camp this summer. As the Second Counselor in the Stake Young Women's Presidency, I had the opportunity to work with the stake leaders in planning and preparing this year's camp. I was able to work with the most dedicated women in this calling, and had the best time getting to know so many wonderful women.

 

I also got to spend some time with our White Mountain ward and get to know the girls in our ward a little bit better. As the bishop, Christian was able to come to camp on Wednesday night and speak with the girls about the importance of service and what serving others can do for their lives. 

 

I got to hang around the very beautiful and talented girls from our stake, especially this cutie...My friend Jessica. 

 

My brother Brandt and his wife Alexis were the main speakers for the camp theme on Thursday afternoon. He brought his picture and expertise from studying in Jerusalem and was able to give the girls some interesting insights about Jesus Christ from a different point of view. My sister in law, Alexis, also talked to them about the confidence women can have in their life when they know what Christ thinks of them. 

It was a very hard week. My kids were away in Castle Dale and worried that they were going to eat my parents alive. Christian had a busy week at work and had to make a lot of sacrifices to get up to camp on Wednesday. I was tired and stressed out from the preparations in takes to even get to the camp, and I was overwhelmed by the thought of being released from my calling after only a year of serving.

Like most things, it all worked out. My parents survived the "strong-willed" children, Christian made it to camp, and the stress of preparation faded away as I saw the energy and willingness of the girls who attended our camp this year. Nothing worthwhile comes easy, it was not easy but it was definitely  worth it. 

Remember March? You Know, That One Month...Where I Never Blogged...Yeah, That's the One.

A very large part of my potential academic success, and the better part of six semesters of study, all culminated together for a giant due date of March 30th. That date has hung over my head since January, and it finally came and went. Phewww. Kind of. There are still quite a few things I have to do to wrap up my degree and get hooded on May 5th.

I spent the better part of one month preparing my final project defense and submitting it for review. That is my excuse for a complete lack of neglect in many other areas of my life...including, this blog. It's weird, even in the midst of late night studying and other crazy things...life around me still goes on.

Here are some of the things we did in March, it think...

Fitness conference in Colorado Springs. The first weekend of March I spent Thursday-Monday at a fitness conference. It was a really fun experience and I learned a lot of things. I received two certifications, and got to meet a lot of great people.  Here I am with Mindy Mylrea, google her if you don't know who she is...She's pretty cool. She's also pretty tiny.

Carter has been begging me to get him a "muscle shirt" for ages. So I cut off the sleeves of one of his t-shirts, and I was a hero. He promptly applied this Star Wars tattoo and we all realized that Rock Springs fits us very nicely. Of course we needed a picture of the event, and of course Caleb had to pose for the picture as well.

Carter lost his first front tooth. He lost the bottom two a while ago, and this top one was hanging by a red thread for way too long. He finally got brave and let Christian yank it out. There away weeping and wailing and literal gnashing of teeth. I don't know how he made it through the experience, but somehow he did. Not even a week later he pulled out a bottom side tooth without a peep while driving with the Grandma Gwennie and Grandpa Neal through Spanish Fork canyon.

Our little friend Canon got baptized. We love Canon so much, he is the sweetest kid and it was so fun to see him get baptized.

My tiny sissy had a baby! This event will need some of it's own blog posts, plus I have to outline my plot to kidnap Brock Tyler...More on this later!

Cali's art work was selected to be displayed at the Fine Arts museum in downtown Rock Springs. That's her colorful kitty on the bottom right of the picture with the yellow squiggly tail. We had a fun few minutes visiting the art museum before Caleb when completely squirrely and tried to rip fine art off the wall.

Of course, there was St. Patrick's Day. We attended a baseball fund raiser, complete with green teeth!

Never did I think I would wake up with two boys in my bed. Oddly enough, it happens more often than not.

Before the Young Womens General Broadcast the stake hosted a Mother-Daughter dinner. I was in charge of this event, and Bethany and I put together these pom pom center pieces in all the different value colors. Sad story, after the dinner the vases fell out of the back of my car and shattered everywhere.

I am loving freeze dried food! It is so good, and I get a monthly shipment. I just love getting food in the mail.

 Finally, the combination that has really been there for me through many long studying nights. Hot tamales and chocolate chips. You must try it. Just put one of each in your mouth at the same time...You will not regret it. I owe my master's degree to these two products.

Nothing Like a Good Book

Cali and Carter love a good book and a good story. As a Christmas gift, my parents chose a book for each of them. These pictures tell a story of their own. It goes something like this...

Carter: Hey Cali, check out my book about Sharks.
Cali: Cool, what happens when you turn the page?

Cali: Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Grandpa Neal: Check it out, every time you turn the page you see more of the sharks' guts.
Carter: Very interesting.

Christian: What does a lamb say, Caleb?
Caleb: {picks nose}

Grandpa Neal: These are some of my favorite poems.
Cali: They are my favorite now too.

A Pollastro Family Christmas Quiz

Question 1: Which of these two children were excited about recieving numerous {and very cute} outfits?

Question 2: Which one of these three people would win an unwrapping contest?

Question 3: Was Christian able to get his head out of this helment without the use of Crisco or the jaws of life? Follow up question, is his head large or is the helment small?

Question 4: Should any responsible adult ever, under any circumstances, give Caleb a wooden bat?

Follow up to Question 4, what if he is dressed like Tu Pac, then is the bat appropriate?

Question 5: How many times did Cali actually make contact with the bat or pinata?

Question 6: Which one of his family members did this kid get the killer-teeth-clench from?

Question 7: Is one of these kids much taller and pinker than the rest?

Question 8: What effect does putting pinata cones on your head have on your brain?

You can submit your answers in the comment section. I will review your answers and send you your final grade!

The Best of Times

It would take it's own blog to compile all  the adventures that I had with these girls in 2011. It really was the best of times. The insane laughing, the trampoline jumping, the double park days,  the rec center, the weird cry face, and the awkward bathroom breaks whilst running in the hills...just to name a few.  We had to say good bye to Jesika {second from the left} and the whole Nacey family in December. They moved to North Carolina where Josh is pursuing his dream of joining he Army's Special Forces, and Jesika is living her dream of being an Army wife. Which, by the way, is a great show on Lifetime that I could never talk her into watching. I miss my dear friend everyday, my kids miss her kids and we've had many talks about where and how and why they had to leave. Carter is still hoping to be reunited with Presley, his first love/sleepover buddy {hey, they were five and it was totally cute}. Thank goodness for texting and phones and facebook and the wonderful means that we have to stay connected. I already got all my weird crying and even weirder cry face out of the way weeks ago. So, I think it's safe to say a big thanks to the Nacey family for welcoming us to Rock Springs and instantly befriending us. My life would never have been as complete or wonderful without your friendship!

Sweet and Sour Son

Carter's last soccer game 5/2010

Carter is the sweetest and the meanest. I think that boys with a tender heart have to put on a mean front...you know, so they can be "tough". I think this accurately describes Carter. So sweet singing primary songs at the top of lungs, and mean enough to punch you in the gut. It's a delicate balance that I am learning how to strike each day. Today for example:

Sweet:
Carter: Mom, did you know that Jesus helps the bishop.
Me: Well who helps the mothers? {mind you I had two bags, a baby carrier, and was trying to lift Carter out of his car seat}
Carter: {Stops, throws his arms around my neck, looks at me with shiny teared up eyes} The sons.

Several Hours later....

Sour:
Me: It's time for Jill {our babysitter} to go now.
Carter: NOOOOOOOOOO You go!
Me: Jill has to get on to her next adventure today. {bend down and pick Carter up trying to give him some loves and tickles}
Carter: {scratches up my neck} NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

There you have it. The sweetest mean kid on the block!

This is Pretty Amazing

Today is Cali's last day of first grade. She's had a great year with a great teacher, Mrs. Garcia. She has made great strides in her academic progress and is described by her teacher as, "a friend to everyone". She's also grown up quite a bit this year, as you can see from the pictures. Her teeth are coming in nicely, she much taller, and she's losing that round baby face. It's a little overwhelming to be the mother of such a grown up girl!

Stealing From My Sister

There is a {funny, well depending on who you are} joke in Christian's family. Apparently when he was younger if he was running a little low on cash he would sneakily steal some from his frugal siblings. He did it subtly and just little bills at a time. His brothers and sisters never noticed, and didn't find out until years later when Christian confessed.

Instead of stealing sneakily from my sister, I am just going to blatantly rip her off. You see, my sister Dory has the funniest thing she does on her blog. She sums up events in her life by describing the event, and then telling the reader what ensued as a result. It's very "Dory" very clever and very {as is all of her material} well written. So today, in attempt to give a shout out to my youngest sister, and to catch up on some blog slacking. I give you...

What has ensued...{copyright and props to Dory Peacock}

One husband with a large blood clot in his leg...praying, shots, drugs, and stress ensued.
One husband who's blood clot dissolved...thankfulness ensued.
Back to school for me...mountains of reading ensued.
Soccer and Girl Scouts...driving around and around Rock Springs ensued.
Teaching a few extra classes at the rec...tight shredded hamstrings ensued.
Gallons and gallons of mucus draining out of children...a trip to SLC to the doctor ensued.
A diagnosis by our favorite pediatrician...Strep, Strep, and Ear Infection ensued.
Bethany came out for a visit...Much hilarity and shopping at the White Mountain Mall ensued.
Crazy crappy weather for the weekend...Cancelled soccer games ensued.
One baby with no skills or desire to sleep through the night..."You look tired" comments to the mother ensued.
One daughter who wanted to wear sandals to school today in the wind/snow...crying and complaining ensued.
One son who decided to play red rover at church yesterday...getting marched to the car ensued.
One baby jam-packed full of antibiotics...crazy squirty poop ensued.
One mother holding that baby...change of clothes all around ensued...twice!

Happy Monday!

Check it Out!

We found out on Wednesday that my mom's MS story was published in one of the MS Walk's advertisements. Complete with a picture of Bethany and Cali. The story was submitted by Bethany at the team kick off meeting this year, and the Walk photographer matched her story up with some pictures he snapped last year.

In the story Bethany mentions that my mom went from being unable to walk to teaching aquisize everyday. The MS Society of Utah has been flooded with calls about where she teaches and if she's available to teach.

Our fundraising efforts have been a little slow this year, but we are still committed to raising money to cure this ridiculous disease. We will be doing give aways in the next month, we would love any support that we can get. Go Team Tootsie Roll! MS SUCKS!

An Update

I just updated the old blog with some pictures from this past week. It's been a busy one, and it's only getting busier.

On Monday evening we drove to SL and spent the night at Carl's apartment. I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday afternoon, so we got quite a bit of final shopping done beforehand. At my appointment the doctor said that I was ready to be induced. His nurse scheduled my induction for this Friday {as in, tomorrow!}.

After the doctor's appointment we drove to Price to attend Christian's Grandpa's viewing. My parents were kind enough to take the kids to Castle and for the night where they had a glorious time.

Wednesday morning came, and we participated in a wonderful {if they can ever be classified as "wonderful"} funeral service. We met up with my parents and kids and spent some time visiting with family on Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday evening we drove back to Rock Springs.

So, I am here today, cleaning up my house and getting things ready for a tiny baby. It's just so crazy! I watched Cali walk to the bus stop today and couldn't help but think how much her life is going to change by this time tomorrow. Then I realized, so is mine! We are leaving this afternoon to go back to SL for the night and then hopefully have a baby tomorrow.

Christian and I are going to try to keep people updated via text. If you want to be on our text list, and I don't have your phone number. Please email it to me {my email is on the sidebar}. Wish me luck! I have a feeling I am going to need it!

Grandpa Gus

Christian's Grandpa Gus passed away last Thursday morning. He broke his hip early this month, and never quite recovered from the shock or surgery. I was able to visit him at the University Hospital on the 16th of this month. He wasn't very responsive, but I am grateful for the few minutes I had to spend with him. I'm also grateful for the 10+ years I've had to get to know him. He was a man like no other! And even though he will be greatly missed, he is much happier to be reunited with Glenna, his sweet wife.

Thanks for all the phone calls and texts, Christian is doing well and he had the opportunity to say the family prayer and dedicate the grave at the funeral services. It was a sad and special few days for everyone. Grandpa's obituary was published in the SL Tribune and Des News, as well as the local papers. You can read it here.

Week 34

With only six weeks left until the big D Day, last week came and went without a single picture being taken....I know, hard to believe. It's not that we were doing nothing, it's just that somewhere between being tired and busy I simply forgot.

Monday: Carter started his second week of preschool...Which he LOVES! I couldn't ask for a better experience thus far. He loves Miss Emily, and all of his little friends. He can write an "M" and an "S" and he knows what sounds they make. He loves school and cries that he can't go everyday. Monday was also my brother in-law Tyler's birthday. Happy burtday to Ty!

Tuesday: I don't even remember Tuesday. I will say that I was very grateful my friend Starla offered to teach my body bar class. My teaching skills are just ridiculous at this point, so I was very grateful for the break.

Wednesday: I went to a Relief Society activity where we made some cute wood letter block things. I guess it wouldn't kill me to take a picture of them...they turned out pretty well. I had to take a dessert, so Carter helped me make Better-Than-You-Know-What-Cake. When I only brought a 1/4 of the cake home, Carter said: "Mom, why did you let those ladies eat up all of my cake?" He promptly ate the remaining 1/4 and saved Cali a tiny sliver...Which he tried to scam her out of the next day by saying, "Cali, can I please have a tiny one bite of your cake {batting eye lashes....}" And she totally fell for it!

Thursday: Was our last day of swimming lessons for this session. It's also called "Fun Day" which means the kids can show off their tricks for their parents. Through much persuading and guilting, Cali and Carter talked me into getting into the water with them. Parents are invited to participate in "Fun Day", and since I didn't last session {and my children made it very clear that I didn't last time} I gave in. So, thanks to a very modest one piece and some very long size 40 waist board shorts {Thank you Christian}, I made it! My kids were so happy, it was nearly worth it! Hopefully there are NO pictures of this...anywhere!

To make Thursday even better, we arrived home after fun day, to find that Christian and Carson had moved the kid's bedrooms downstairs to their new rooms. They also took down the extra TV, entertainment center, and set up the crib. Hurray! I could not have been happier. The kids are doing great in their new rooms, and we just have some boxes in the garage left to move in and organize. I think this project will keep my nesting instinct busy for the next few weeks.

Friday: The kids didn't have school Friday so we spent some time working on organizing and arranging their bedrooms. I went to a step class at the rec center on Friday morning, and then worked at organizing rooms the rest of the day. Had I actually realized how many times I would have to go up and down the stairs, I think I would've skipped the step class. I did enough steps!

Saturday: We finished up in the basement and Christian went to SLC with some friends to the Utah game. We went to the park and then to our friend Becca's house to watch the RS broadcast.

Sunday: So here we are, ready for a new week. I might also mention that I finished a comforter for Carter's bed and am nearly done with a crib quilt for the new baby. Both projects deserve their own post and I hope to have some pictures in the very near future.

All Business

It's been about a week since Christian returned from his business trip to Florida. He and his co-workers {pictured above} were able to accomplish a lot in their four day trip. They were also able to do a few fun things while they were there too. Like, hang out on beautiful white sandy beaches, go to a professional baseball game, and let's not forget the deep sea fishing. We missed him terribly while he was gone, and we were so glad that he finally made it home!

Apparently there's not much to this fishing thing. Just cast your line over, enjoy the ride, and wait for a bite.

Christian was the only person on the boat who didn't catch anything. Not to worry, they took their catch to a local restaurant and had it cooked up and eaten before lunch!

Last Week Was a Strange One

My kids spent last week with their grandparents in Castle Dale and Price. Which means, I was without kids for about five days. It was strange being alone during the day. But, they had a wonderful time! Christian and I spent the first part of the week getting the basement prepped for the carpet to arrive. We both shared the wonderful job of vacuuming the cement, I think I'd rather vacuum carpet..any day!

We painted door casings and trim, and Christian spent the better part of the week caulking along the base boards and touching up paint.

Have you ever seen such clean cement? I did a really good job! Our carpet arrived on Tuesday and by Wednesday afternoon it was finished...pictures coming soon!

Suck It MS

MS is a lifelong and often disabling disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system and destroys the protective sheath (myelin) around the nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. As a result, scar tissue (sclerosis) forms and disrupts messages from the brain to other parts of the body. MS is a "prime of life" disease, striking people between the ages of 20 and 50. It comes and goes unpredictably, leaving people to wonder, "Will I become paralyzed, blind or have trouble walking? Will I be able to raise my family and continue my career?"

So to that I say, "Suck it MS!" We {Team Tootsie Roll} are in our final weeks of fundraising for the MS Walk 2009 in Salt Lake City. I am so grateful for the many donations and kind words of encouragment and support we've recieved over the last two months. With just a couple weeks left we are nearing our $2000.00 goal, we would LOVE to meet and exceed it if possible. If you would like to donate or join Team Tootsie Roll for the MW Walk click here http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/cammiepollastro or on the Team Tootsie Roll logo on the upper right side of this blog.

At this time I would also like to publically thank the donors who have supported me and in doing so, have joined with me in saying...."Suck it MS!"

Neal and Gwen Peacock
The Mason Family
The Freer Family
The Cody Peacock Family
Christy Yost
Cammie Pollastro
Emily Dunn Parsons
Nykelle Pollastro
Leslie Mortensen
Roz Jensen
Tamra L Jones
Crue and Addison France
The Kendrick Family
The Cottam Family
Josh Anderson
Anonymous
April Bingham

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Thank you so much for your generosity! Team Tootsie Roll is really on a roll, every day we get a little closer to achieving our donation goal. We are currently the third highest Family and Friends team {We are gunning for first!}. This would be completely impossible without the support of family and friends who have donated to this worthy cause. We would love it if everyone could join us for the walk on April 11 as well. Here are some reasons you should join Team Tootsie Roll:

1. Because you love me/love my family!

2. Because exercise is good for your body.

3. Because April 11 is 2 months from now and you can block out that day on your calendar.

4. Because it's good to fight for an important cause!

5. Because we might just reveal to you the reason why our team is named team tootsie roll (very classified)

6. Because Cali will be wearing this exact tootsie roll costume!

7. Because after the walk you can shop at the Gateway if you want to!

9. Because we are a rowdy bunch of people that will make sure you have fun.

10. Because you care about finding a cure for MS!

Join Today!

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/cammiepollstro or click on the Tootsie Roll wrapper on the side bar of this blog. The team password is calikins

...and Continues

Bethany reminded that I forgot a very important part of the story I posted yesterday. As you can recall Carter was pantless, due to the crazy amount of poop smashed in the pant legs. You will also recall that Bethany offered to take the pants home for me and wash them. Well, with no pants we had no choice but to wrap Carter's coat around his legs. We weren't parked too far from the entrance, but it was freezing outside and his legs were bare.

Bethany carried Carter and held his coat around his lower body. Christian pushed the giant cart of "essentials" toward the door {whilst being stopped by former employees begging him to return and offering him "hugs" or they would "cry"...lame} Tyler talked with Cali as we walked, and I had the honor of holding the poop pants. When we arrived at the door to have our reciept checked, the door employee tried to stop me from leaving. She yelled, "ma'am ma'am!" and motioned for me to bring the pants back. I walked toward her with the pants extended and a feel-free-to-take-these-pants-back look on my face. Christian screamed, "No!" and explained that the pants were ours and revealed Carter's bare legs to prove the point.

We made it to the car, said our goodbye's to Bethany and Tyler, and handed over the poop pants. As we were driving down the road I recieved a text from Bethany which read, "Take life by the horns, wrap a coat around your legs!"

I was looking for a new motto to replace my previous motto, "Aim low, then no one is ever disappointed" and I think this one will do the trick! Take life by the horns, wrap a coat around your legs!

Where to Start?

There's a character in Alice in Wonderland who says, "Start at the beginning and when you come to the end.....stop." It seems pretty logical, but I'm not entirely sure where the beginning is and I'm positive that the end is nowhere in sight.

However, I must start with a huge thank you to all my friends in Herriman for their help and support during our moving process. I had so many people help with the kids, phone calls, blog comments, and just a lot of support. It was harder to leave than I had originally thought. Here are a few of moments that brought a tear to my eye....

Seeing my first house completely empty. It brought back so many memories of the building process and the endless hours we spent checking in on it while it was being built. It was just very hard seeing it empty again.

A giant moving truck and a sold sign outside of our house. Especially looking down the street where the kids had played for four years.

Saying goodbye to little friends. This is Carter and his best buddy Ethan. We ran into him and his mom at Target before we moved. I was so glad that they got to have a little lunch together before we both moved.

Saying goodbye to bestest friends. These girls have not been easily separated since they were old enough to play. Cali and Madisen were both 11 months old when we moved to Herriman, and Calee was was only two. We have had many tear filled days without them to play with.

Saying goodbye to the best neighbors and friends. Lori and Adrienne were the best neighbors and friends anyone could have. Summer nights won't be the same without these two.

And possibly the worst of all, saying goodbye to a cherished, loved, and adored automobile. I think the picture is traumatizing enough. Christian sold his 1964 Impala just before we moved. It was a hard decision, and I felt a lot worse about it than he did. He nearly gave it away, but the man who bought was a friend of his and will take the best care of it.

I still have many things to post from our first weeks in Wyoming. I'm just getting into the new routine, and with most of the boxes unpacked I hope to resume so normalcy in my life. So, stay tuned for what I hope is more frequent and organized blog updates!!

P.S. Herriman friends (and any other friends who are curious!): Leaving Herriman wouldn't be complete without a run-in with M.W. and the cops the day we were literally trying to get out of our drive way. Stacey, the incident occurred shortly after I picked Carter up from your house that day. It may be the most blog worthy story in the history of Wild Meowzers. However, due to the public nature of my blog, I hesitate to post it. If you would like the details please email me or leave me a comment and I will send you the story via email....It's nuts!