Pizza Pie Paul

So Kevin has a major crush. He stays in touch with his infatuation many times a day on the computer. He professes his love openly threw emails to family and friends about how amazed he is, by his new found love.  Hanging in the place that used to display the exact paper of my name and interview time that I had with Kevin, now you can find a portrait of the face of his fling. It is hung in Kevin's "office" nicely, along side his college degree plaque. When he comes home from work, he walks in the door and gives me a very quick kiss, and then, he gets straight to the gossip about his obsession. This is no secret admire relationship, Kevin wears a shirt loyally with the face of his lover printed on it.

I would be jealous, but seeing that his crush is seventy-eight years old, has white hair, wrinkles, and is only 5"10( if he straightens up as tall as he can), I am not worried about my competition. Eventually Kevin will realize the " Mormons" are irresistible, and had what he wanted all along, when Romney wins ;)

Kevin's Dad has nick-named him " Pizza Pie Paul", but Kevin calls him many things like; a game changer, a movement, an inspiration, a revolution, and hopes him to be the next President of the United States, this man Ron Paul.

This crush has already cost Kevin some money. Kevin had to buy pizza for Dad Turano when he came in town,  over a bet that " Pizza Pie Paul " would win the Iowa Primary.

Lucky Dad Turano got a Serious Pizza. This was a serious bet, Kevin really thought Ron Paul would win, so this gigantic pizza was enjoyed by us all, and it was deserved, since Kevin actually owed him two pizzas.

Kitty's Room

Will has been wanting to play in the Kitty's closet for months. I always take him out and say , " Will, this is the Kitty's room, it is yuck, you can't play in here. " I repeat that over and over about six times as I force him out. His response is, " Please, please " in the exact tone of voice that Brooke begs to me in.

I guess Will figured that he had found his golden ticket into the Kitty's room today, when he found Brooke's stuffed Kitty laying on the floor. A Kitty as his companion, surely he wouldn't be kicked out this time right? After all, that's what Mommy says over and over , " Kitty's room."

I give him credit for being so smart, but my explanation to him, about why I am dragging him out, is going to have to change. " Yucky poop, no playing here. " Of course, then he may try and use the litter box as his own toilet, knowing him!!!!

Brooke's Birthday Wish

 IT IS BROOKE'S SIXTH BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

I dread the day that Brooke will be blowing out candles and wishing something about a boy. But naturally this wouldn't happen as young as six, right? Well, last night it was brought to my attention that Brooke is in deep thought about some boys lately. I know for myself, when I pray about something it is usually something that I am really putting a lot of thought into, and normally it is something that means even more because I know that I can't do anything about it myself. Well last night when I came  in Brooke's room to sing her her bedtime song, she said, " Mommy, tomorrow is my birthday. " I said, " I know aren't you so excited! " She said, " Yes, and that's why I said a prayer, that just tomorrow at least, that the boys wont chase me." I said surprised, " Really?" Then she said, " I just want to be able to only play with my friends that are girls tomorrow, because the boys keep trying to chase me away from my friends everyday, and sometimes I just want to play girl stuff." Then we had a talk about whether or not she has told them she didn't want to get chased that day, and etc.

I in awe of Brooke every single day as her Mother. I know it is a privilege to have a daughter like her. Brooke is so thoughtful, the way she lets each of her friends choose what they want to play on the play ground each day, and she even has a " pattern " for this, in her own words, and she puts herself very last to have her turn. Brooke loves to resolve problems quickly, she tells me a few times a week, the way that she stopped a fight at school. She tells the other children, " Lets just all get along, and it will be more fun." Brooke is quick to notice when someone needs help, and she is smart about it. There have been times, I notice suddenly Brooke has given Will a toy of hers that I know she wouldn't usually want him to play with. When I ask her why she did that, she says, " Will was about to color the wall with a crayon, and I knew he would scream when I took the crayon away, unless I gave him something he really wanted." Brooke is so silly and fun. Brooke can kick back and play rough and joke around anytime! I love this about her! She knows how to have fun! Brooke is honest. Brooke tells me many times a month, " Mommy, I need to tell you something..." Then she goes on to tell me something she did wrong. I am so proud of her for wanting to be the best person that she can be. I am so proud of her for her kindness to her little brother. She adores him, looks out for him, and I hear her say thank you for him in her prayers every night. Brooke is so smart! She loves to learn and she has the attention span to do it! Brooke's teacher told me just yesterday that Brooke is very organized, and that Brooke arranges her crayons daily by color to make it faster for her to find the exact hue of color she wants to use. Brooke is forgiving, and patient. Brooke told me last week that she really felt like hitting her friend because she was talking to her when the teacher said no one could talk, but Brooke said, " I decided to make the right choice and not hit my friend, just ignore her." Brooke has so much faith to pray for the things that she needs help with. Brooke has a beautiful spirit, and she has a strong testimony of the gospel. Brooke tells me all the time, that the most important thing to her is reading scriptures, making good choices, and going to church.

I love being the Mother of a very special child. I know it is a privilege, and I know that Brooke is a choice child of our Father in Heaven. I know this because when I was only three weeks pregnant with Brooke, and I didn't even know that she was a girl, I had a dream. It was a very special dream, that I will never forget. I heard a man's voice, very powerfully tell me, " You have a daughter and her name is Brooke." I woke up immediately and kept pondering on the dream. I knew the names that we had already talked about if she was a girl, were not to be. I knew that this special spirit that was to come to me, would be very important in God's plan for our family, and that is why we didn't get to choose Brooke's name. Her Father in Heaven whom is so proud of her, and loves her so much chose her name. I know she is so special to him, because she has a strong spirit that is meant to lead the world in righteousness. She will forever bless our family. We love her special spirit and I know at six years old, she is already amazing everyone!!!!

  I guess my fear of Brooke wishing about boys, already came to pass. But this kind of wishing isn't so bad....

   Looks like Kevin has some business with these little boys, if they mess up my little princess's birthday!!!!

 
                         Will woke Brooke up out of bed this morning by handing her this bouquet of flowers

                  Brooke also enjoyed some 7-11 donuts for breakfast, since they are a special favorite of hers!

                   She is so beautiful, Daddy is planning to have lots of guns by the time she is sixteen

                                         
                                            HAPPY SIXTH BIRTHAY BROOKE LYNNE 

Kevemtines Day

Rather than waiting in line for two hours for dinner in a crowded restaurant full of people trying to express their need for one another, I am sitting here with an icepack on my face, and I don't feel bad about spending Valentines Day this way at all.

The first Valentines Day that Kevin and I would have, Kevin was quick to tell me his thoughts on this holiday weeks before it even arrived. He said that he thought Valentines Day was a clown like holiday, that was founded by commercial interest. It would have made me grumpy, except that he threw in as his last sentence, that he thought that people should express their love all the time. So after some gripe from me about it being an excuse to eat sweets, and have fun, he surprised me on Feb.12th. Early that morning Kevin declared that day to be called, " Kevemtines Day " and he took me to one of my favorite places, the zoo. It was rainy so it was perfect! Most people would think the zoo and raining is a bad combination, but as a former zoo worker, Kevin knew that rain made the animals wake up, and get more energy. The lions were roaring, the bears pacing back and forth, and we had the place to ourselves. After the zoo we went to eat at one of our most favorite restaurants ever," Houghbrough House. " We still go there for many special occasions. We ate steak, chicken, and their amazing chips.( the ones we try to make at home sometimes. ) The adventure wasn't over after dinner either! We took a ballroom dancing class to end the night! The class was in a hotel, so after the class, we sat in front of a fireplace in the hotel and warmed up while talking. Anyone who knows us both, knows that we both love fire, fire places, and heat.

So you are probably still wondering why I have an icepack on my face? I will get to it, but first, I must say that Kevemtines Day was awesome this year too! Grandma and Grandpa Pack took the kids for us on Sat. and we ate at one of our new favorite pizza places, Serious Pizza. It's in an area down town, where I get stared at by everyone as I walk in the restaurant. I don't let their tattoos, nose rings, or hung over hair scare me, because this pizza is SO good. You can watch as the cook throws a 4 foot pizza crust in the air, and catches it on his arms perfectly. Then you get to choose from many toppings, and watch them finish making the pizza. The salad is so yummy too. After our meal we went to a new Shark exhibit at the Dallas Museum. We both really like sharks, so it was perfect. We hardly knew what to do at a place like that without kids. We got to take our time to actually look at things! We ended the night by watching a shark movie of course!

Kevin liked our shark theme Kevemtines Day so much that he wants everyone to do a shark theme Valentines Day from now on. He wants it to be celebrated on the Fourteenth, just like V-Day, but he wants to call it " Sharkintines Day , taking the bite out of Valentines Day "

HAHAHA, It's crazy that he thinks he could re-create a National Holiday with this! Oh well, I will enjoy celebrating Kevemtines Day, and Sharkintines Day every year ;)

Oh yah, I almost forgot! I am icing my face because the only day I could get an appointment at the dentist was the day that no one wanted to go! I got a wisdom tooth pulled! Ugh, not fun! It's still better than beating the V-Day crowd, especially when you can have your own day all to yourself ;)

No more monkeys jumping out of bed!

Will continues to love music! His favorite toys, are the ones that play a song. At nineteen months Will is so smart and he is becoming quite sneaky as well. About a month ago, Will started jumping out of his bed. At first he did it only when he wasn't quite tired enough to take a nap. Now he is doing it every time we put him to bed or nap! It doesn't matter how tired he is, somehow Will musters the strength to jump out of the pack and play he is still sleeping in ( at this point the crib would be dangerous) and he does this with only one hand, while holding his blanket and bottle in the other. He wont let Kevin and I see how he does it. He waits for a min. pretending he is asleep, and then we hear a door open, and close, since he slams it shut as he leaves the room. Then Kevin has to stand over his bed until he falls asleep, as a threat, for Will to not get up. We learned this was necessary, when Will kept getting out of bed, over and over for almost thirty min, no matter how many times he had been put back in the bed.

Last night, while having family prayer Will noticed the harmonica that Brooke had beside her. He was trying to get it, and it turned into brother sister quarl, right before bed. Everyone calmed down, after they were forced, of course and I sang them each their usual bed time song, tucked them in, and gave them a kiss. We we surprised thinking that Will hadn't jumped out of bed this time. We didn't hear the door open and close this time. What we heard instead, was the harmonica playing at the bottom of the stairs! Will had snuck into Brooke's room and gotten that harmonica that Brooke had wanted so bad, to keep to herself! When Kevin went down the stairs to get him,  Will played his own get-a-way song, while he ran full speed , around the living room and kitchen, to get away from Kevin.  He played the harmonica, while running! Kevin couldn't help but let him go back into the bed, with harmonica in hand. We listened to will sing and play the harmonica thru our monitor, until he finally knocked out, from his own harmonica jam session.

                                           Hey it sounds good, why wouldn't it taste good too?

Keeping traddition alive

We are bringing in the new year with a long time Pack family tradition! Do you know of a place where        " Wishes " aren't just something that you occasionally think about while looking up at the stars? The "Wishes" that I am talking about is the most spectacular, and one of the most impressive firework shows in the world. Not to mention the back drop for this amazing display of colorful fireworks, is every little girls fantasy, her very own, Cinderella's castle. We are going to the place where fairies really do exist, and you can see Tinkerbell fly across the sky on a cable , from hundreds of feet in the air. You can see Captain Hook ( no not my brother ) but the real captain hook fight Peter pan on the top of the castle, and Mickey will always be the one to save the day.

As a child, our six members of the Pack family got in the car once a year and took a two day drive to get from Salk Lake City, Utah to Orange County, California, so that we could go to Disney Land. This once a year trip, are the fondest memories of my life. I was so excited that I would stay up all thru the night, while my Dad drove. We would have long conversations about everything, while everyone else slept. ( I was also very worried that he would fall asleep on the road, if I didn't stay awake and talk to him. ) We would normally go for a week, and go to Sea World, and Universal Studios as well. We went at dawn to the parks, and my family was always the last people out of the park. We have even been kicked out of the gift shop, so they could close it down. This is very common, when shopping at  night with Mom. I loved the smiles on every ones face on the rides. The churros, and iceys. The fireworks, and hotel continental breakfast. The very best Disney experience was the year when my brother was going to leave on two year mission, to Chile. My Dad wanted the trip of the year, to be unforgettable, knowing that once my brother left, we would only get two phone calls, and letters from him, for two years. We flew all six of us to Disney World this time! We saw mini versions of every country in Epcot. We made our own version of Star Trek,with a video that we actually got to take home of us, at Universal Studios. We went to the beach. We all cherished that family trip.

When Kevin asked where I wanted to go on our honey moon, I couldn't help but want to experience my favorite place on earth with him. It was incredible. His Dad got us our hotel room in the Contemporary, and we could actually walk to the Magic Kingdom. Well in our case, we ran at full speed many times!


We got the gang out, and we are versing Will on whom all these funny looking characters are. The only thing you will see playing on the TV at our house right now, is Disney, because Will has a lot to learn! Don't worry Grandpa Turano, we wont show him Bambi ;)

It's only a few weeks until we leave in March!!!!! Grandpa got us a hotel at Animal Kingdom! Perfect combination for us. Animals, and rides. Kevin says his goal is to capture a flamingo before we go home. I bet him he can't do it ;) 

Weakness Become Strengths

As Kevin and I drove home from our date last Friday, our convarsation turned to the recent struggles that he has watched me face, with all of my pain and discomfort.  As we talked the sympathy that I have had for my family having to experience all these things, along side me, dissipated. The sympathy turned to sheer gratitude for these trials. I realized that a month of neck pain so intense that I couldn't even sit down, is completely worth the empathy that we now have in our hearts, for the suffering people of the world. The numb hands and feet causing uncontrollable worry that I had some disease, opened our eyes to those who have actually been diagnosed with a life changing, or life threatening disease. Our hearts mourn for every person who is sick and our desires to help those in need, have now taken the forefront of our priorities. The debilitating burning and aching that causes me to not be able to carry my baby, or a heavy diaper bag is nothing to mourn for, when I have the great blessing to just be here on this earth with my healthy and beautiful children. We recognize what a precious gift that life in general, is to all of us living and experiencing here on earth.What a gift to be here on this beautiful earth, and to get to take part in God's plan by coming here to be tested. To learn self control by controlling our emotions. To learn how to give unselfishly, even though it is not our nature to do so. What a gift to experience love, and family relationships, that teach us to be more Christ-like, if in fact, we want those relationships to flourish. What a gift just to see the beauty of nature with our eyes, and to hear music, and to walk and enjoy the taste of food. Kevin and I are forever changed, and we will never see human beings in the same way.  Kevin said, that the kindness he has seen my family, church friends, and the Relief Society women show to us, has made him want to help others in need, more than he has ever felt and he clarified again that it has changed him. The Lord gives us trials so that we might learn, and become more like him, if we respond to the trials correctly.These are a few scriptures that I am reminded of:

Ether 12:27

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness, I give unto men weakness that they may be humble: and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.



(My all time favorite scripture, since I was twelve years old )

Mosiah 3:19

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek , humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

My hands have gotten a little better with the steroid, and I have become accustomed to the life changes in the way I can do things. My foot is still numb 90 percent of the day, but I just try not to worry about it much. My weakness has improved quite a bit. My neck only hurts a few days out of the week. So there is much improvement for me! Prayers are heard, and no matter the end result, we have so many blessings, our family is better from this experience.

            We found a little gem in McKinney that has awesome live music. Its our new date night scene!