Snow White and a five year old

June 2010

Golly I'm stoked I finally was able to retrieve my nona's fifth birthday party pictures some from our camera and some from a friend (thanks a heap Diane if you read this post). We celebrated Keona's fifth birthday by going to Wheeler Farm renting out a cabin and invited our families and friends and their kids. I have to admit this is one of my favorite birthdays that we celebrated I think perhaps because it was Snow White theme. I had a blast getting the balloon colors blue, yellow, and red plus I made two cakes (strawberry flavor) with pink (failed at getting red), blue, and yellow frosting along with cupcakes for the kiddies.

It was a pretty funny day because here I was thinking the day was gonna be perfect weather so I show up with my kids to Wheeler Farm and it starts raining and it isn't just raining it is pouring rain. I was shocked and was hesitant at what to do because I had to get all three kids out of the car plus get the decorations and cake. Luckily I had friends help me get everything inside the cabin. The cabin was awesome but kind of tricky fitting everyone inside. Some people went ahead and watch the cows being milked or just went outside to look around after the rain stopped. Adam came right after work and in perfect time after the rain stopped, it was nice when he came so I wasn't the only one hosting the party haha.

We all got together again and sang Happy Birthday to Keona and served cake along with jewels as for party favors for the kiddies. It was a bit crowded but cozy, I honestly LOVED it and Keona had a blast!

Here are the pictures, enjoy!

Family and moving

There are two topics I wanted to talk about in this blog which are family and moving. Last night as I was shopping at Wallyworld getting stuff to put together for my nephew's baptismal gift, my mom texted me and apologized for the things that were said the previous night. Have you ever tried to text a person and at the same time look and shop at the same time, it can be quite interesting and yes distracting.;) It was very relieving though to work things out with my parents and be able to have a settled mind for the next day's special day for my nephew and his baptism into our church. I think the thing we both learned in our conversation was that we need open communication, ground rules, and supporting each other. Family is family and we always will need each other whether near and far. I talk to my brother who is miles away in a different state, I talk to my sister through email/text same with my parents, and with Adam's family. It's nice to check in now and then with each other. I'm just so grateful for all my families whether we drive each other crazy from time to time. I love you mom and dad and thanks for wanting to work things out so we could have peace again. Thank you to my sister for wanting us to work things out so we can be a family woven together. Thank you to my brother for giving me the advice that I needed to help me through the battles of whatever.

My second topic is moving. We have lived here in Utah for seven years which is the longest we have lived anywhere in Adam's and my whole marriage life. We are discovering more and more the economy has not been in our favor here in Utah. We find that we will be better off moving to a cheaper place and we owe the house more than it's worth and that's where Washington state comes in. For one thing Washington has cheaper housing and we have family there. My brother Erik lives there in Deer Park with his wife and five children. They live not far from Spokane, they live in a very nice town in the country which is nice. The idea of living in the country and then driving out to Spokane for the city sounds appealing and also can be tedious driving back and forth. However it sounds like an adventure to live in the country for a change. The idea of moving is scary and exciting at the same time. We will be leaving a lot of family and some amazing friends which I'm not happy about leaving neither. And that is why I plan to come back to Utah to visit often. I just wish I could take everyone with me and that would make the move complete but everyone has to live their own lives where they have their own jobs, and homes. Guess making this leap will be good for us to start fresh and be able to have our kids learn a different life outside of the city that they've known for so long. Adam jumps into the decisions quickly and able to adjust well while I on the other hand have to take it slow deciding and going with a decision. I guess that is why we balance each other out.

Family and moving are both hard to live through but the important thing is we make the best out of both aspects. I'm checking out now, exhausted from a wonderful eventful day of our newest member of the church. Ethan, we're so proud of you for making the choice to be baptized!

Good night world.

Black sheep is my name

I have no recollection of ever being a bad kid growing up, I always did the right thing or at least I tried to. I always have been faithful in going to church, paying tithing, serving others, the whole Christianity LDS thing. I have never tried to miss a day without praying whether it be in my heart or on my knees or with myself folding my arms and bowing my head. I read scriptures with my family and on my own growing up, we always discuss with each other what we just read. I bore my testimony, increasing my faith, went to seminary everyday. I even served a mission in both hearing and deaf communities. Yes I did get sent home only because my companions didn't think I was fit to serve any further. I wasn't able to come back because the stake president quoted

"There isn't any work for me out there in the field." Is it because I failed as a missionary i disgraced my parents? Is it because I got married in the temple to an amazing and wonderful husband that I failed my parents? It has been stewing for quite some time apparently enough for my parents to actually say to my face that I haven't been doing my part in teaching my children to walk in the ways of our God. Yes tonight I got in yet another fight with my parents all because I thought they were a little overprotective of my children just because they were walking about twenty feet to our van to get their backpacks. My dad actually said that I haven't been doing everything right and that I am basically going astray. What in their right minds would actually cause them to even think that of me? I try my uttermost hardest to stay on the right path so okay maybe I don't read the scriptures every night. My mom said that I better not move by my brother Erik because then he will see how terrible we are for not reading scriptures every night. Wow such a spiteful thing to say to her own daughter, her own flesh and blood. How on earth would they even know what we are doing 24 hrs 7 days a week. Do they have a camera showing our every move what we do with our spare time? Seriously.. Even when Adam is sick I dedicatedly take our kids to church no matter how hard it is to take four children even with my health problems on the side. We try to do family home evening every monday and then from time to time we get thwarted because Adam has school or studying. In my parents eyes if we miss one family home evening lesson we are sinners. I don't think I will ever understand my parents as long as I live and vice versa until the other side. I am being constantly compared to my sister and brother, they are according to my parents eyes are doing everything right and I am scum of a tree that has been chopped down. I am tired of this fight of proving that I am just as good as them, therefore black sheep is my name. If my parents are not going to accept my decisions, my life then I need to sever my relationship with them. I cannot continue being a puppet to them living for them. Either they accept me as I am and that I am simply "doing the best I can" then goodbye. More and more I am convinced that it's the right thing to do to move to Washington so my husband and I can have a fresh start and actually afford to live again.

I am what I am that I may not waver, i don't know if that is part of a quote from someone famous but felt like saying it because it fits how i feel. I, Lisa may have changed but it does not mean my spirituality has left me. It has always been with me guiding me in every aspect of my life no matter what anyone says. My parents cannot stand the fact that I am independent of them, they want me to be forever dependent on them. Well what happened was that I got married and now I cleave to my husband as it should be according to the scriptures. We are one ordained under God as it should be. We right each other. We all make mistakes and like my brother said to me tonight is that we are all dealing with our own shortcomings and all of us have room to improve. So why mom and dad do you guys put me on such a short leash expecting so much from me when I can only do so much to survive and to help my family survive? I may not have my two ears but I have goodness inside me whether you think there isn't. I know right from wrong. I am what I am and continue to follow HIM whether you don't think I am. I am faithful in HIM whether you don't think I am. I am imperfect whether you think i am or not.

Every time I choose something my mom automatically thinks it affects my sister whether she likes it or not. I can't live for my mom, can't live for my sister or brother but can live for my own family as it should be. I dream a dream that I may be perceived as good as my siblings are but I won't place hope where it shouldn't be.

I am born as Lisa Levy and I am baptized as Lisa Levy but I am married as Lisa Schafer therefore my husband and kids come first before my parents as it should. I am sorry that I disgraced my parents for my so called hearing "loss" as it is called in the hearing community but I am proud of who I am and what I've accomplished thus far. I have the most amazing husband in the world and four beautiful children that I have been blessed to call my own here on earth. I have done well as much as I could handle and if my parents don't understand that then they have much to learn. And when I die I hope that God will approach me and say " Thou hath done well, my faithful servant."

The Project turned upside down

Ever since Adam had back surgery he hasn't been able to help me lift or carry stuff which I am glad he isn't. No way I want him to go back for a second surgery. These last couple of days I had been feeling like superwoman taking on all these stuff such as oh I don't know like putting together a storage shelf together from Ikea. I went into to Ikea and bought an Expedit shelving unit for our basement which I have been wanting for about a year to organize all the kids toys. Last night I was working along on carrying all the shelf pieces downstairs and putting it together. I even was listening to music and talking to myself to keep myself company while hubby was away at the gym working out his biceps. ;0) In the middle of the putting together, hubby came home and made a snack for us tomato cooked up with cheese on top. *yum* Afterwards I went back down to finish up then I got to the very last piece and was this --------- close to being done except.. I realized that I couldn't put in the screws to keep the board together. It was like gravity was holding it apart. So out of frustration I pounded the screws in whether it was in the instructions or not. Oh by the way I looked through the whole box and no I repeat no instructions at all was found in the box! I stepped back to look at my supposedly masterpiece being all proud of myself being the handyman and all. I felt my ego squished like a bug when I realized why the screws wouldn't go through in the first place. As you can see in the picture above you can see me and stupidity.;D

The brown part of the board was suppose to be the top part of the shelving unit so this afternoon I had to take apart the whole blasted thing and set it up again.

Here it is all prepped up for organizing THE toys. :)

Even though it may just be my sister and I reading my post it's good therapy for me to write my feelings down on days that I can sit here at the computer. It's also a nice way of keeping a journal.

Anyway pardon the mess of our basement, nighty night.

Cupid's day

I love Valentine's Day, it's the

day to celebrate LOVE. My

Adam took me out to Rodizio's

Grill at noon while my sister

and mom watched our boys.

He surprised me with the most

gorgeous flowers I have ever seen.

It was so nice to have the smell

of flowers wavering to our noses

while we ate. We had a grand

time talking about a variety

of stuff without any interruptions, of course

no pun to our children. Nice to have time spent with

just him without the mommy this mommy that.

Our favorite food was the pineapple and

beef and especially the dessert at the end.

We had what was called

Rabanada which consisted of a cinnamon pastry-churro style,

the best dessert on earth!

After the lovely date, we went back to pick up

our girls from school. We headed over to my sister's house and

found my mom had laid Alimaka for nap. We decided to leave him

asleep and take our girls along with Tommy to a movie called

Hugo which was the most boring movie that Adam and I have

ever encountered. Ah but it was nice to sit with the kids eating popcorn

and rootbeer. Thanks to my amazing sister and mom for willing

to watch our kids all day so we could have a fantastic Valentine's!

Happy Valentine's Day to all the world, may it have been a grand

day!

Here are the pictures of our baby

wearing an onesie I found at Target that

I couldn't resist even though it was

a size 6 mos. It was worth buying because it

fit him perfectly!

Thomas and Thomas

I know I said that I would focus

on the now but got to thinking

that there is nothing wrong with

picking up from the past. I felt

that the last post I did yesterday

was a bit morbid so decided to uplift

my blog by posting pictures of Tommy's 2nd

birthday last year May 26, 2011.

We celebrated his day by taking

him, his baby brother, and two sisters

for a ride on Thomas the train in

Heber, UT. Tommy was and still

in love with trains just like his

daddy and uncle. The whole train ride Tommy

was glued to the window watching as we past

houses, buildings, the countryside. He was in train

heaven.

I am having a bit of a problem

with posting pictures since it has only been

my second time since 6 years ago. Ack, I need

my sister's help since she is an expert at

this stuff. Well bear with me and enjoy

the pictures. :)

Life is precious

Well here I am again feeling like I wanted to get all of the stuff out of my mind. It's nice to have a journal to turn to when my mind is racing with all sorts of things. Yesterday I woke up the girls for their usual get ready for school routine then Keona came up to me saying she wasn't feeling well. She claimed she had a sore throat and didn't feel up to going to school. I told her she would have to stay on couch the whole day with nothing to do and she said okay. I decided that she should have medicine and take her anyway and she had a huge fit. She was crying so hard that her whole little body was shaking and couldn't even put clothes on. I saw Keona sitting at the island counter looking all miserable and I was thinking perhaps i was hard on her so I asked her if she was avoiding school. One thing led to another and the puzzle was put together and realized that Keona didn't want to go to school because of her substitute teacher. Her teacher was in the hospital because of her pregnancy so I am assuming it is because she needs to be on bed rest so she won't be coming back for awhile. Keona misses her and says the substitute teacher is very strict. I hope her teacher comes back, it isn't easy for kids to have changes like that.

I had been contemplating since yesterday late afternoon when Adam notified me that Eva's flute teacher was in an accident on Monday. She was driving with her two children and got hit by a cement truck near my parents house. The teacher (Melissa) is currently in the ICU and her two year old daughter died when arrived at Primary children's hospital after being airlifted there. Her 9-10 month old baby boy was injured but is doing fine. I just cannot stop thinking about Melissa and cannot imagine or ever want to imagine what she must be going through the loss of a child. Her daughter was named Mary and she came several times with her mom and brother to teach Eva her flute lessons. Mary was an adorable red-headed two year old who adored our dog Haole and loved to play with him and with our son Tommy who is also two. When Adam told me my heart stopped and I couldn't breathe then I looked at our Tommy and just was heartbroken for Melissa. I just held on to my son and was thinking Melissa isn't able to hold onto her daughter anymore. I held onto my girls and Alimaka as well, life is precious.

Tommorrow I have a cat scan to check out my Sacroiliac joint to see if that's where my pain is generating from. I am so exhausted from constant pain and hope dr finds something to resolve and cure my pain like it has for Adam. The doctor told me surgery is not an option for me and physical therapy is all that can be done at this time. I wish I didn't have to depend on medication and the pain would miraculously disappear but that's wishful thinking. Well off to bed I go, I got to get up between 7-8am since my cat scan is at 8:30am. Lovely. Good night.

Lisa

The Schafer clan has been revived

Here I am reviving my blog from the dead, it has been five years since I posted my last and only blog when my girl Keona (our second daughter) was two and half years old. Now here she is 6 years old. How sad is that? Well anyhow, it's nice to be back! Instead of trying to recapture the last five years, I am just gonna start anew starting today which is all I can do. I want to make a goal to keep this blog going at least once a week.

In just two days my son Alimaka will be 10 months and in just two months he will hit the one year mark which I have mixed feelings of. It's not that I don't want him to grow and develop, I just want to hold on to the baby stage. Babies grow so awfully fast and it's unstoppable, I am trying to treasure every moment whether he is crying because he is teething or whether he's asleep in my arms. It's all the same, those precious kodak moments. But no matter when he becomes one, two, three, etc.. I will still treasure him as do i with our other three children.

Thomas/Tommy or as what we call him Tom-Tom is gonna hit the three year mark in four months. No matter how many tantrums he has per day, he melts my heart. He follows me wherever I go. If I am doing laundry, he comes into the laundry room and enjoys watching me throw clothes into the washer and watch the dryer go round and round. He does this high voice when he's excited "Oh look mommy, it's going round." There never goes a day without him entertaining us with something he says or does. He adores his sisters and wherever his sisters go he must tag along. If his daddy leaves, he has a meltdown. He is daddy's boy and he is also mommy's boy.

Keona or nona as what Tommy calls her will hit the seven year mark in five months and next year she will be baptized! Oh how time flies. She is the most affectionate of all of our children and she would just jump up on you and just hold on however long you let her. She would grab her sister from behind at lunchtime and Eva would threaten her that if she doesn't let go she won't get a unicorn for her birthday. Hmm bribery? The things kids concoct with these days.. Keona loves her 1st grade teacher and looks forward to each day of school. She has a best friend name Maddie whom she just adores and looks forward to each playmate she has with her.

Eva or ara as what Tommy calls her will hit the ten year mark in six months. She is the most responsible and mature of all of our children. She loves to read until she falls asleep which explains her IQ and the way she thinks. She never ceases to amaze us with the kind of conversations we have with her. There are times where I feel like I am talking to an adult, her mind just blows me away. She adores her brothers and sister, she would bend over backwards for each of them (Daddy here. That is true. Eva was the first person in this life to touch Ali as he was being born. Eva was there for his first breath, and she dotes on Ali, Nona and Tom-Tom.) She loves to socialize and has a variety of friends from different nationalities. She's very close with all her cousins.

My other half is Adam and no joke, he and I seem to be made from the same cloth. If he gets sick, I get sick. He knew the same people I knew growing up; he and I were both raised oral (reading lips our whole lives) and then learned sign language later in life. We both went on missions, both are the middle children in our families, both of us love to travel and go on road trips.

Well as for now I shall close. Until tmmw, this is just the beginning.

Lisa