The world didn't end!!! 17 1/2 more days :D

I'm so glad to be able to write this blog...THE RAPTURE DIDN'T HAPPEN!!!

I got so tired of hearing about this all week but it was funny!

I only have 17 1/2 more days until I get to pick Mark up

It's been an overall great week! I've had ups and downs but definitely more ups!!!

I decided on Monday that I should take class at Taekwondo every time I take the kids. So Monday I took class and it was great! Thursday I played Volleyball for 2 hours in the morning and then took Sparring class. I haven't sparred in over 2 months and it was awesome! I almost knocked out a 16 year old!!! Man I wish Mark could have been there to see it!

I got a phone call Thursday afternoon as I was on my way to get the kids from school. It was some funky huge long number and I almost didn't answer it. ... I AM SO GLAD I DID!!!

It was Mark! I got to talk to him for a whole 3 minutes!!! He sounded excited and happy which was good to hear! I can't WAIT to see him in just over 17 days!!!

Then Friday I skipped class for myself and after the kids class we all went to my friend Sean and Kris's house for dinner and just so I could have some adult time! Our kids get along very well and hung out w/ minimal interference from us which was awesome!

Today was $1 flip-flop day at Old Navy! So the kids and I all got new flip-flops!

We went to the park

This is Jordan w/ his boomerang (Moriah and I kept trying to throw it and have it come back and we can't) Jordan is the only one who can make it work!

McKenzie playing on the playground equipment (didn't think it was time to go to the library yet)

The kids had tons of fun pushing or riding the merry go round!

McKenzie always loves her time on the swings (probably her favorite thing at the park!)

Monday May 16th - Day 25

24 more days... (not that I'm counting or anything! :D)

Today was kind of a lazy day for me... :(

I was slacking to say the least and I had a bunch of things I needed to do.

I finally got to "work" after a couple hours... laundry, dishes, taking out trash etc

I haven't been sleeping very well since Saturday and I think it's partial from the wedding cake making and then other from being on my feet most of Saturday, so after a couple of night without very good sleep I was dragging.

I was uplifted by a couple of things today...

1 - it was a taekwondo day so any work that I did on the house would stay done because the kids wouldn't be home until way after their bedtimes.

2 - Words to Hilary's none parody song from her book/cd

It may seem simple

All the little things you do

But the lives you touch matter so much

And there's no one else like you

And Father needs you to be strong and faithful

To be all you can be

Oh, if you could see what He sees

You'd believe in what you're doing

You'd believe in who you are

Hold tight to the truth that your a daughter of God

Believe in who you're becoming

Believe in who you are

Today like I said we went to Taekwondo

The kids had a ton of fun and I took class tonight. It was a wonderful class! (Thanks Ed)

Then Zumba was at Taekwondo. I babysat today so my cousin could come try it out.

Ah what a wonderful day it turned out to be after such a slow day.

Sunday May 15th - Day 26

25 days until we see Mark again.

Our ward is at 9am and I was bound and determined to not miss sacrament meeting. (I figured if I didn't do it this week it would be nearly impossible to get the rest of them while Mark is gone.)

We were late but only by about 8 minutes!!! (That's a record for us - unless I'm there @ 8:30 for a choir performance!!!)

Church was so wonderful on Sunday. You know how there are the days that you just know that you are there to go through the motions and then all of a sudden you get a huge outpouring of the spirit that you realize...how well Heavenly Father knows you and cares about every detail in your life!

As I stated in my earlier post I've read and listened to a book called Bedtime and Naptime. Amazing how a book can drastically change your perceptions of life!

The book starts off w/ such a wonderful thought from Hilary:

I had two hopes in writing this book.

The first one is that you will be reminded to laugh

...at the funny things that happen each day

...at yourself a little more

...in the moment instead of waiting for it to be "funny someday"

...when you might otherwise cry

And, if for no other reason,

...to strengthen your abdominal muscles.

The second hope is that you will feel

...the power of your influence as a mother

...the love and support of our Heavenly Father

...that you can do all you have been asked to do (This is the one that I needed the most this week)

...inspired to continue giving your best

...a desire to fill another sippy cup, make another meal, find another missing shoe, and wipe another food-covered, chubby cheeked face

How blessed I am to have to Gospel in my life and be able to teach my children about a loving Heavenly Father who KNOWS them and EVERYTHING that is going on in their lives. He is definitely a magnifier of what we are willing to submit to him and ask for help with. I have felt myself being magnified to handle the difficulty of having Mark gone for a while. I have felt the love of my Heavenly Father as I have asked for that help to become a better mother and wife and person. My situation has not changed but I have been strengthened to bear that which is right and good for my family! God is truly good!

Day 27

Well, I decided I would blog about my time while Mark is gone. One reason is to help me to not let the time just pass but to catch all those amazing things that happen in ordinary days. I have a friend who's blog I LOVE to check often because she posts so often and like I said I LOVE IT!!! I want to be more organized so that I can do that as well.

Today was the wedding of my brothers sister in law. I made their wedding cake and this is how it turned out!

Then after picking the kids up from their friends we came home, got ready for bed, enjoyed a movie and they are down for the count!

Then Mark called from Maine! I got to talk to him for 40 min and it was wonderful! I wasn't expecting to speak to him for 26 more days so having time was wonderful. He leaves in a short while to head across the pond! :D

He didn't have his cell phone and he said there is this place in the airport where they have old cell phones that are for military to use so they can call family!! Oh my how grateful I am for that program and the opportunity it gave me to tell Mark that I love him one last time before I can't tell him for 26 days!

So another thing I need to add to this is that I have been making it through my days thanks to a wonderful book and CD by Hilary Weeks! It's called Bedtime and Naptime...i saw it on Good Things Utah the week before Mothers day and just had to get it!

She sings some parody songs that are amazing:

If you have a chance go get the book, it's great for moms, grandmas, & aunts!

The Best Birthday!

So my birthday was last Saturday May 7th. With Mother's Day the following day and then Mark having AT (Annual training) for a month starting the 11th we had a day packed full of fun!

First we took the kids to Natalie in Bountiful. Thanks for watching them Natalie, I know they enjoyed it! Then Mark and I met our friends Nick and Marissa @ the Gateway to watch Thor!

*what a great movie Thor is. If you haven't seen it GO!!!

Next we walked around the gateway and hung out for a while. Then picked up the kids and drove to Nick and Marissa's place in West Haven.

Now it was dinner time. There is this great restaurant in Ogden (up that way anyway) called ABC Mandarin. So we went there for dinner (can't beat feeding all 5 people in my family for 28 (that included the tip!!!)

Then we went bowling @ hill AFB which was awesome!

**I'll post pictures once Mark gets back from AT. He took the camera and we left the pics on it so that he would have pics of us to look at while he's gone!

All in all I must say I am so blessed and thankful for everyone who made my birthday so wonderful!

SPRING CLEANING!!!!!!!!!!!

Life has been extremely busy over the last few weeks!

I am trying to get better at doing all the things around the house that I should be doing! Lets just say I've totally noticed my influence of being a procrastinator showing up in my older children! They may be shocked when they see what my plan is for the next month! :)

Mark and I have almost been married for 10 years. In that whole time it seems we have just acquired, acquired and acquired things! It's CRAZY the amount of STUFF that we have acquired. Especially because everything is SO cluttered that most of the STUFF isn't used! I'm just sick of the things that we can't do because of the clutter and excess we have. I bet that I could get rid of 3/4 of the things we have and all be happy and have our most wanted items and be able to have a clean house more easily!

SO my goal between now and the middle of April is to de-clutter our home and garage!

I will be having a virtual garage sale (using facebook) and hopefully soon know of a sat in April that I can have a yard sale too! I'm stressed by this idea but super excited at the same time!

This will help me be more organized for my Mary Kay business, make it easier to move when our lease is up and greatly de-stress our lives.

Maxfield recap of 2010 & resolutions for 2011

I hope this letter finds you all in good health

2010 flew by in such a flash it's difficult to believe that it is the last day of 2010!

Here is a pic of the kids from August of 2009 and below that is one from June of 2010. BOY my kids have grown so much this year!!!

Mark & I have had a busy year, the first half of the year Mark was in school full time. He took a break in July due to his Marine Corps Annual 2 week training being in the middle of a semester. He started two new jobs in September. One for A&B Mechanical a plumbing contractor, he works @ BYU on the DT project, usually. He's so amazing and took this job so that I could stay home w/ the baby so I was able to quit my job in September. The other job Mark started is working at a Martial Arts School. He is business partners w/ a friend who opened a new school. Infinite Martial Arts, it's in Kearns (right down the street from where we used to live ;)

I have loved staying home w/ McKenzie! I can't believe I worked for 18 months!

Both Jordan and Moriah tested for their Yellow Belts on Dec 15th and did a WONDERFUL job! It's fun to see them work hard for something and get the gratification of their hard work. I love that we are all doing Tae kwon do again! (McKenzie is too young to start class but she LOVES to do it w/ us too!)

Jordan started taking Adderall in April and it has definitely helped him to focus at school! He's in 3rd grade now and he got Baptized June 5th! It was wonderful to see him choose to be baptized.

Moriah is in 2nd grade and loving it. She is 7 and growing up so fast.

McKenzie just turned 2 and is such a smart girl. My parents were here for Christmas and my dad kept talking about how articulate she is. She just speaks w/ such clarity it is hard to believe she is 2. Also when she had her 2 year check up we found out that if she really doubles her height that would put her taller than Mark at 6'1.5"!!! She is at 110% for height at two years old which is a 50% for a 3 year old! This year she learned to run, jump, kick, play, imagine, feed herself. As shown from the pictures above she has really grown up this year.

We are loving our place in Saratoga Springs. The condos are full of other kids and it is a very safe environment for playing. We look right down on the playground which is wonderful for the kids to be w/in ear shot!

I started a Mary Kay Business in Nov of 2009 but didn't really do much w/ it because of work and school this year. I am however getting to work this year to help get mark home from his first job so he can do the TKD and get back in school. I'm super excited for the opportunities and positive people I have met doing Mary Kay and I can't wait to reach my goals and my families goals while making the money by helping others feel & be beautiful and wonderful.

This coming year Mark and I have a few resolutions that I am totally excited about! I am working on losing the last 50lbs so that I can be in good health to try for another baby! :D (I lost 25 lbs between August & December) Also to make things easier for our Black Belt Test in August of 2011. Mark will be going for his 4th Dan and I will be going for my 2nd Dan!

Mark and I are starting a Total Money Makeover thanks to DAVE RAMSEY - check it out if you have any kind of goal to be more financially fit in 2011! (www.daveramsey.com)

We wish everyone a safe and Happy new year and the best of luck for 2011

The Maxfields

Mark, Elaine, Jordan, Moriah, & McKenzie