Tribute To The Greatest Woman I Ever Knew & The Best Mommy I Could Ask For

Did a Whole Year Really Pass Already?

I made this video after he was born ... it still makes me cry!

"5 Years of Wedded Bliss"

When David and I meet, I was recently divorce with a young daughter. While I was not opposed to another relation and hoped that someday I would marry again, I did not understand how those things would come about. Between working full time, fulfilling my church calling in the Primary Presidency of my Family ward and caring for the needs of my young daughter who was adjusting to all this change in her life. Needless to say, I did not have many opportunities to meet new people.
In response to these feelings, I half joking told the Lord that if he wanted me to marry again he was going to have to drop him on my doorstep.
Essentially that is what he did, David was my neighbor; he lived 2 doors down. We had been neighbors for almost a year before we had any interest for one another. I later found out that David had been praying for an "Angel" . . .

We were married in July of 03 giving new meaning to the command “Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor.”
Lacey was 3 years old when we were married; 11 months later, we welcomed Noah; 14 short months later we received Jacob and 22 months following that our sweet Ammon came into our home. Apparently, we are in a hurry?
At 5 years, we still have much love and passion for one another! This has been a difficult year and in some ways has put our marriage to the test, but it has also brought us closer than we have ever been before. He has truly exceeded my expectations, I love him eternally!

Anywhere But Home ...

We had made plans to go on a multi-family camping trip over the 4th of July weekend; however, due to the price of gas and the lack of resources, the trip was canceled. Desperate get away from my "work" I insisted (more like begged) to do something where we didn't have to be home. So, we rented rooms at the Mesa Hilton with the Earlywines! It was fairly inexpensive and just what I needed; sorrounded by family and away from home.

We made a fort for the kids to watch their movies in.
Jacob & Noah relaxing, watching a movie, before bed time!

Macy Earlywine showing off her cute little swim suit.
Jacob ... playing with Ammon's water toys!
Daddy and Ammon
Big Boy Noah swimming with his Super Man swimming suit on.



Noah the Sea Monster .. Thanks Oliver :)
Olvier, Dave and Lacey - splish, splashing
Hanna and Little Boy - She has become quite the little babysitter!
Ammon cuddling with his Daddy

Jacob flying from bed to bed ...
Jacob's crash landing

Noah's turn to jump and leap!
A near miss but he made it.
Oh yeah, didn't think that I would miss the opportunty to jump on hotel beds? According to Noah, this was the Pocohantas jump

(ya know when she dives off the rocks in the beginning?)

We could see the fireworks from our "balcony"

(it was really more like a window ledge)

This was the best of both worlds; beautiful fireworks, great seats and air conditioning!

Some of the show ...

It was great to get away and be with family! Thanks honey for accomodating my "requests!" :)

I Love 4 Years Old!

Joy does not accurately describe the feelings of my heart when Noah was born. For I was so happy not to be pregnant anymore! I got very big and the last 6 weeks before I delivered was so difficult; but he was well worth the suffering. I have never seen David so happy; his baby boy, his son. When he was born, David took him in his arms, looked into his eyes and named him on the spot. Noah was not a name that we had discussed. He was going to be Hyrum James Kriser.

The date of his birth was bittersweet. You see that was the date (6/19/91) my father died 13 years earlier. It had always been a sad day in my life. A day I remembered and felt the pain of not having my father on this earth anymore. Now it was a joyous and happy day. Perhaps it was his grandfather that sent him on that day as a message for me to not be so sad?
David continued to be enamored by him. They were buds from day one. Noah loved to sleep on David's chest and snuggle with him. Having Noah was better than David could have every imagined. My heart swelled with love for both of them when I saw them together. David would hold Noah on his forearm facing outward and Noah would go right to sleep.
He was a fairly easy baby. I got to know his different cries quickly, could translate what he wanted and soothe him easily. No real complications, although he did develop thrush, which made nursing very painful!
Believe it or not, this is Noah at 4 weeks. He changed so much!
Noah was instantly independent and oh so active! He began crawling at 6 months. (I’m not talking army crawling or scooting but hands and knees crawling.) From then, he never stopped. I was a bit taken back by how busy he was; always discovering. Lacey was much more passive and less curious. Noah was ALL boy. I could not stay a step ahead of him; I was unable to predict what his next move would be . . . David would have to explain to me that that was what boys did. At 8 months, he was pulling himself up to the bathtub and flipping into it. He loved the bath and always wanted to get in it. I really had to watch him on this one.
He potty trained at 2 years and 7 months, because I was yet again pregnant (with Ammon) and nauseas; changing diapers for both Noah AND Jacob was too much! I literally wore a medical mask over my nose and mouth because it made me so sick. In an attempt to brib him to go #2 in the potty I asked him what he wanted; donuts, candy, money .... his response was "A Birthday Party!" We had several birthday parties with balloons, cake and candles before he got the hang of it! :) Whatever works!
Noah began walking at 10 months and by that time I was pretty pregnant with Jacob so carrying him was difficult. No problem, cuz he mastered walking and enjoyed the even greater freedom he had because of it.

By age 2 he was lots and lots of work; out to discover life to the fullest. He taught me so many things I never learned from Lacey; like locks and necessity to baby proof. If I told Lacey not to touch something she didn’t. If I told Noah not to touch something he thought that meant just not to touch it while I was looking.
Jacob was born when Noah was 14 months old. Noah loved him instantly and tolerated the fact that he required so much of his mommy. Good thing Noah loved his daddy so much because David had to do lots more to help; because my hands were full!

Birthday Fun, the boy loves to party!
Animals are so exciting to Noah; all animals, any animals – especially elephants. He is fasinated by sharks and crocodiles. He loves playing with trains and riding his big boy bike.
Christmas 2006
In our ultrasound of Noah when I was pregnant, he was sucking his thumb and shortly after birth he found it again. For a few weeks I made attempts to take it out of his mouth and try to prevent him from sucking it, but he would find it in at night and suck away. By 2 months (8 weeks) he was a regular thumb sucker when he was tired or needed comfort. It was soooooooooooo cute. (He successfully stopped sucking his thumb with the aid of a thumb guard in February '08.)

He is a picky eater and hates vegetables (anything green)! He is in love with "his" Grandma Kriser and can't go more than a week without spending time with her. He is her "Grand Darling."
Noah has the BEST excited reactions to things. It doesn't take much for him to screech in delight about something he finds exciting. He is grateful and easy to please!
He is learning the importance of telling the truth, which is difficult because "Jacob did it!" is so automatic! Thanks to the Leap Frog Letter Factory movie, Noah recognizes almost all of his letters and knows theirs sound.
Snuggling with his daddy!

Noah likes to sleep in our bed … ever since I told him the story of Goldie Locks and the 3 Bears, his bed is "too hard," Jacob’s bed is "too soft" and our bed is “just right!” Needless to say, he starts out in his room and usually ends up on our floor before morning. When David leaves for work, he is quick to sneak into bed with me.

He is truly a JOY!

Happy 4th Birthday Day Noah!

So Sweet!

My Noah is very loving at bedtime and enjoys cuddling and rubbing your ears (it's a fetish). Anyway, last night Noah was snuggling in bed with David and I, when he turned to me and said "Mommy, I just love you. I want to marry you." It was melt my heart cute. Then David started tickling him and responds with "Hey that's my wife I already married her" and Noah told him "Find your own girl."

We All Know They Grow So Fast .....

One thing that I have been continually praying for is to be able to enjoy my children. Sometimes, they are just so much work I feel like I am just enduring them and not really enjoying them. I have prayed to be able to learn how to play with and love them and yet not neglect responsiblies; to be able to judge which responsiblities were really important and which were optional or could wait. I have made this and studing the gospel my focus; And I have to say I am really loving my kids. Everyday, I am amazed by things that they say and do! They shower me with love and affection and make me feel so needed. I can see them say or do things that I have taught them and that makes me feel small moments of success. I am thankful for the answer to this simple prayer.

Family Home Evening Success

At church yesterday, my Lacey got up and bore her testimony. She did a great job and I was very proud of her. It also set the example for her brothers, who then wanted to get up and bear their testimonies, only problem; they didn't know what to say.... so tonight we decided to have Family Home Evening be about Testimonies. The Earlywines were over for dinner, so they stayed and we had FHE together. I set up a fake podium, equip with a step stool and microphone. We talked about what testimonies are and why we share them. Then we gave everyone the opportunity to practice their testimony amongst family where it is a little less intimidating. The little kids jumped at the chance to talk in the microphone and we taught how to bear testimony, then the older kids participated and ultimately, the parents did also. It was a great family night where we had fun and taught our children gospel principles.

Jacob was kind of a heavy breather and liked to lick the microphone ... at times it was hard to be reverent while listening to him. :)


Noah needed some help at first but then became very confident and did great!
Macy was not the least bit embarassed or shy and only needed a little bit of help as well.
Hanna was a bit hesitant, feeling kind of akward even though it is just family, but once she decided to get up she was able bear her testimony without any assistance! Awesome Hanna!
Oliver was like an old pro ... he also did a great job bearing testimony of the things he has learned to be true about the gospel and Jesus Christ.

Dave shared his testimony about the Atonement and his gratitude that he didn't have to be perfect. But that he just had to do his best and repent of his sins.
I bore testimony of the Resurrection and our Premortal Existence.
David bore testimony about the Preisthood and the way we can use it to help us in our lives.
Diana bore testimony of Tithing and expressed gratitude for the blessing that she has received as a result of being a full tithe payer.

(The microphone was a hit, if anyone wants to borrow it for their own testimony FHE, just let me know.)

He Found A "Nut"

Saturday night, Noah picked up a sliced lemon from off the counter and was thrilled to find a "nut" inside! It went something like this .....

Noah: "Mom! A nut, a nut! I found a nut in this lemon!"

Me: "A Nut? Let me see." .... "Oh, you found a seed."

Noah: "Yeah, I need to plant it and grow you some lemonade!"

Here is Noah, planting his lemon nut (in our garden) to grow me some lemonade!

It was too cute and he was way to excited for me to explain to him that that is not exactly how it works! What are the chances that he will forget?

Prayer Request

To everyone who is checking this blog to see how I am doing, Thank You ... but Bruce (mom's husband) is the one in need of prayers. He is enduring well, but it is just so heartbreaking to see him suffer. He is living alone, in Mesa at a "house" (i use that term very loosely) he owns, which has no air conditioning. He is constantly working in his junk yard, garage or "house" moving stuff around trying to feel productive but all in all he is lonely and bored. He's can't drive ... we all try to do our part to check on him, occupy his time and let him know that we love him but inevitably there are still silent times when the reality of this tragedy stabs him in the heart. I believe that faithful prayers calling upon the Powers of Heaven can truly be used to accomplish miracles, please use your faith to help soothe his aching heart and reduce his suffering.

Word to Describe Me (Jul 3 - Jul 9)

????? - I really don't know. I am still enduring, kinda conflicted, emotional but not overcome .... thinking maybe I need to go back to the MD to evaluate meds and to the therapist to understand my feelings. Enjoying my kids and studing the words of our Prophets.

Last Day of 2nd Grade

Well, despite the year's events, somehow we made it through the school year? Thank you to all my silent helpers that picked up my slack and filled in when necessary. Lacey did fabulous in 2nd grade! She is a superstar at math and has excelled with her reading. I am so proud of her study habits and hard work. She is such a wonderful daughter; I am lucky to be her mommy!

At this point, the camera is handed over the Lacey to capture her memories from Mrs. Wright's 2nd Grade Class. Hope she's not interested in pursuing photography?

(Hey, it's 3am and I don't care that the picture is turned. I'm just glad to have it posted :)
This is Lacey with her best bud, Joelle! They have been in every class since kindergarten together.

This is Ms. Liz, teachers' assistant, for Mrs. Wright. She loves Lacey, says she reminds her of herself when she was young. Carefree and social!