Blog Address Change

I've changed blogs. I like that this new one works better with my Mac and I'm just generally happy with what it does. Hopefully I will continue to like it. I guess we'll see how long it lasts. Hopefully, this will be my permanent spot for awhile. Sorry for any confusion. I will keep this one around, I'll just be posting the new stuff here:

www.godardfam.wordpress.com

Let me know if you find any problems using the new site, posting comments, etc. :-)

Benefits of Feeling Under the Weather

Well, this week I've been sick. Maybe part of it was due to my crazy camping weekend. Whatever the reason, I didn't want to feel blah so I remembered my 100 days goal (introduced to me by a friend) and although I put some time into it daily, I thought maybe this was a chance to do a little more on the big portions I don't usually have time for.

I've been working on genealogy for years now but, since I first started seriously working on it (more than a year ago) I've had so many miracles happen.

Well, I just had to share the story that is unfolding right now. I hope it turns out how I want it to!

Many years ago, as a teenager, I went on a reenactment of a mormon pioneer trek with the Santa Monica Stake, where I lived. It was a hard trek and I learned a lot from it.

We were separated into families that had actually made the handcart trek all those years ago. Members of the Santa Monica Stake, graciously supplied the names from their own ancestor lineage.

Just a week ago I was remembering that I had made this trek. Maybe it was because I was reading the book The Price We Paid, for book club. (Thanks Eliza for the great selection!) And randomly, while I was looking for a photo of something else, I came across photos from this trek that I didn't even realize that I had.

It was fun looking at the pictures and I saw that we were the Elliker family. I had forgotten the name but was glad to see it again because I felt like I always had a special place for that family name as we reenacted what had happened to them on our trek (most of them did not reach the Salt Lake Valley). It was a moving experience for me I'll never forget.

Well, about a week later, while feeling sick, I decided to take some recent information I received from a man in England, who is directly related to Jacob, and put it in our tree and see if I could back it up with some primary sources. (It is a huge family tree that he gave me in PDF format. He also sent a way cool, very old photo of the family. I love genealogy!)

Within about 5 minutes of doing this, I came across a name of a relative I had never seen before who was born in the same area where this particular line came from (in Utah) and noticed that he had died in Santa Monica. I thought that was interesting and upon further investigation discovered that there were a lot of people from this particular family who had moved to W. Los Angeles/Santa Monica area. Researching the line further I noitced that one of them, prior to moving to W. L.A., had married an Elliker!

I had never seen this name before and then just seeing it a week ago, naturally, this peaked my curiousity. I didn't expect to find that this could be the same family but, clues just kept adding up.

Long story short, the story isn't over. I don't have hardly any proof yet. But, I have noticed so far these clues:
1. The name of the person I was representing was pinned on my skirt in all the pictures. It looks like it says Elizabeth, age 22. (wish I knew how to blow up the rest of the pictures to read what is pinned on other people, without distoring the names)
This matches the family related to Jacob.





2. I also noticed that the family we were put in to seemed to have about the right number of boys/girls for the family that Jacob is related to.

3. Also, I found the pioneer story of this family and noticed that most of them did not make it to the Valley.
This matches up with Jake's ancestors and the experience I had while I was on the trek.

4. Many of these Ellikers ended up in Santa Monica where members of our stake supplied names.

5. I remember that the mother of this family did make it to the Valley. This matches with Jake's ancestors.

Well, as you can see this isn't much to go on. But, my hunch is that they are the same family. What if that were true?!!

The latest development today, is that my best friend, who was in this Elliker family with me, said there might have been a Stake album created with information on each family. I sure hope that turns out to be true.

Keep your fingers crossed, everyone! Even if it doesn't turn out to be true, it sure has got these names into my tree awful fast :-)

Camping at Leo Carrillo

This is always a fun place to go. It had been a long time since I'd been there so it was fun to bring my family there.

There were about 11 families from church, all with young kids, so Ryan and Krista were in heaven. The pack of boys kept going off down the dry riverbed and searching for a bear cave and going on a bear hunt. Krista stayed pretty close by me but, went off every now and then exploring. She had fun roasting hot dogs and smores for the first time.

If that wasn't enough fun, they spent all day at the beach digging, finding starfish & hermit crabs, and Ryan got to go to the cave on the beach. They also got to see part of a concert one night in the amphitheatre right by our camp site.

The last night we were there, Ryan said with his eyes half closed, "Mommy when we're done camping here, can we go find another camp site?!"

I said to him, "What was your favorite thing you did?"

He said, "ALL OF IT!"

The best part for me was how well the kids slept at night! I also liked seeing the shooting stars and hearing the ocean waves while I slept.

And Jake really enjoyed spending time with Ryan & Krista. A highlight was when he got to go exploring on the beach with Ryan while Krista was taking a nap.

Jake also discovered that Ryan, who always follows the crowd, was trying really hard to listen to mommy and daddy who had told him not to go too far. Jake heard him say, several times, to the group of boys he was with, "Hey guys, I think we're going too far. Let's go back."

Here's a video of Krista's thoughts on camping.

Sayings of the Month

Here are sayings for the month of July.

1) Couch
Ryan: Mommy make room on the couch for me. I wanna lay next to you for the movie.

Me: I'm trying but it's not a very big couch.

Ryan: Mommy! But you're as wide as the couch. Why are you as wide as the couch?!


2) Taquitos
Krista: Mommy, can I have some of your chicken rollers?
(I was eating chicken taquitos)


3) Fly Swater
Ryan: Mommy, mommy, can I try to use the bug slapper?
(Fly Swater)

This is my favorite this month. Ryan has been understanding the concept that daddy goes to work to pay for our house, food, etc. Here is the quote. He really did say this word for word.

4) Things Cost Money
Ryan: Daddy, do you pay for the toilet paper, too?

Daddy: Yes

Ryan: Well, then you better go back to work and stay a little longer because Krista used it all up and put it in the toilet. It's all gone! You're going to have to stay there all night!


5) Ocean
Me: Krista do yo want to go swimming in the ocean?

Krista: No!

Me: Why not?

Krista: Because the ocean will float me away!

Ryan's First Day of Kindergarten

Amazing! I can't believe he's started kindergarten. I must admit it was hard to leave him. A plethora of parents & kindergartners stood outside the school and waited for the kindergarten teachers to come out and tell us what to do. We found out that everyday we line the kids up against the wall and wait for the teacher. She opens a gate and they walk right into the back of the classroom. So, today, with that plethora of parents, we were not allowed to go in. We just sent them with all their school supplies and backpacks in line and waved goodbye.

We've been talking about the first day of school for days now and he's been fine with it. But this morning he woke up and said, "Mommy, I'm a little nervous today." And as he walked into the gate he stopped and said, "Uh, mommy, will you come with me?"

I think that if he had not done a year of preschool this would have been much harder for me. But, as I walked away I told myself that it was ok, he's done this for a year already.

Well, success. When I picked him up he was a very happy kid. I've taken video of his response. One big milestone down. LOts more to come :-)

Crying Over Spilled Herbs

So, a few posts ago I wrote about Miracle Herbs. Well, I suppose it was bound to happen with my rambunctious kids. I heard Krista scream, like she had been hurt. Well, after I saw what happened I think she was scared, not hurt. She didn't know there were herbs inside that little pillow! Now, they didn't stay sad for long. As soon as the vacuum came out they were laughing. This is during "witching hour" (As many moms know comes towards the end of the day before dinner. They get kind of hyper and crazy and cry more easily) Doesn't it just break your heart watching Krista ask for daddy and Ryan cry over his favorite pillow?! And could they be more melodramatic? It looks like I was the director of a staged video!

Sayings of the Month

Don't kids say the darndest things? Well, and the cutest things. I've been collecting a few of the ones that have stuck with me over the past month and hope to post these once a month regularly. Here goes:

1) Okay to start with one of my all time favorites (Krista had just turned 2 last, October)
The kids had done something....I was upset. For the life of me I don't know why I asked this question.
ME: WHO DID THIS?!!
ANSWER: SHE/HE DID (as they point fingers at one another)

Why did I ask this question again?

ME: WHO DID THIS!!
ANSWER: SHE/HE DID

This went on two more times. Finally, exasperated, I asked:
WHO'S LYING?

Simultaneously:
RYAN: KRISTA
KRISTA: MEEEEEE! (With her hand up in the air)
They both started laughing and immediately I had forgotten whatever it was that she had done.

2) Let's do a sign for daddy's first day at his new job. What should it say?
KRISTA: Ta Dah!



3) Krista and I were together at Costco. She was asking about going to school like Ryan. I said you need to be potty trained first!
KRISTA: (AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS IN COSTCO)
If I get potty trained I can go to school like Ryan? I can't wait to go to school when I grow up! Mommy, can I go to school when I grow up?!

4) We plant some tomato plants one day and after we are done, Krista sets up a chair right in front of it.
ME: What are you doing Krista?
KRISTA: I'm watching it grow.
ME: No, Krista, it takes a long time for it to grow.
KRISTA: Oh.
The next morning Krista wakes up she says,
KRISTA: Mommy! Mommy! Is it done growing? Let's go see it!
Ryan says his prayers every night and has added,
RYAN: Heavenly Father will you make the "potato" grow super fast so I can see what it will look like?



5) Grandma came to visit and watch the kids while we went to Hawaii. She discovered that everywhere the kids go (in a car) they have learned to spot the Fedex Trucks and Taxis (both because of Ryan....long story why he does this...Krista caught on, etc.) So, grandma, being the cute grandma she is, sent some diecast Fedex trucks by Fedex. (Wish I had a picture of the look on Ryan's face when that truck pulled up to our house) She also sent some Taxis. The Taxis came first.

RYAN: I'm so glad that I have these Fedex trucks because my Taxis really needed some friends!



6) MY FAVORITE THIS MONTH:
RYAN: Look, look its an ambulance! Are those nurses that work in there?

ME: No, those are E.M.T.s

RYAN: What do they do when you die?

I'm thinking, wow, where did he come up with that question and how should I answer it?
ME: They take you to the hospital.

RYAN: They take you in an ambulance?

ME: Yes. (as I shrug my shoulders....I can't very well explain all that to him, he doesn't even know what death is)

KRISTA: I've been in an "anbalence"

Ryan thinks very carefully for about a minute and then asks:

RYAN: Did Krista have to go in an ambulance when she was growed or when she was being made?

ME: No! :-)

RYAN: Krista, you didn't go in an ambulance.

KRISTA: Yeah, me either

Disneyland

We made a last hoorah trip to Disneyland last week before our passes didn't work until the end of summer. I rather like the fact that they don't work in the summer because it is too crowded! We thought about going on the new submarine Nemo ride but, decided not to do it. It was a 3+ hour wait. Blah! Anyway, they had a blast and still love Playhouse Disney. JoJo was standing right outside before the Playhouse Disney show.

Here is a video of Krista playing in the waterfall in California Adventure. She runs up to the camera and says, "I'm all wet...that was fun!"