Memories in the Making

2012-01-25T20:21:00.000-08:00

I finally downloaded all my pictures from my phone on to the computer...I only had 453, didn't realize it. Found some good ones.

This is what Crates hair looks like after a good nights sleep.

Crate loves when I put Lumber Jack in his bed

The good ol' brothers

If I can't get to him fast enough he just gives up and is willing to sleep anywhere. Poor little guy.

We love having a baby around here...especially this little baby. I can't get enough of his toothless grins.

He's gonna be the death of me...

2012-01-18T18:37:00.000-08:00

apparently the walking tornado thought we loved his couch artwork so much that tonight, while I was nursing again, found a pen and drew on the leather couch. The cream colored microfiber couch is one thing, I know how to get rid of it, leather is a whole different ballgame.

I'm not sure who to punish, him or the child that leaves ink pens out...and I know which child it is. I only have one child that does homework in ink pen.

However, thanks to google, there are only remenants of the pen markings left on the leather and you have to look really hard. I'm glad it's removed before Pops' gets home...I know he wouldn't appreciate seeing that. Not to mention I just sent him a picture today of the couch I want...and I promised him Crate was past the coloring on the couch stage so we wouldn't have to worry about it. I'm thinking we should wait til Lumber Jack is 5 years old before we invest in another piece of furniture. I remember thinking, before I had children of course, that how can mothers not be watching their children...it's the moms fault if furniture gets ruined. Boy was I wrong. You live and learn right, and then you learn not to judge until you've walked in their shoes.

Just gotta clear something up...

2012-01-17T20:33:00.001-08:00

So you know how kids say the silliest things? .... Well I heard from a child that said that their parent told them "that we kind of stole a dog" I asked what they meant by this and I guess there is a miss understanding.

OK...So if you've read my blog lately you have seen that we recently acquired a dog. And if you live in my neighborhood you might have seen signs up for a boxer named "Paco" that went missing from it's family a few WEEKS after we got our dog. Let me explain...

One day I was out walking with my two youngest children as I normally do. I saw a dog up ahead and pulled out my mace which I always do when I see a stray dog because you never know how they will react. The dog started to approach me and I realized it was a boxer. We use to own a boxer and this is the only type of dog I am familiar with so once I saw it I put away my mace and let it sniff me and the boys. I then told the dog to "go home" and it didn't. I proceeded to walk my remaining four miles and the dog continued to follow me. This dog had no collar let alone any type of tags marking its identification. I brought the dog home, fed her, posted and add multiple times on craigslist, called the pound to let them know we had a stay dog and to see if anyone had called in looking for this particular type of dog. I received no response from craigslist or from the pound.

Well a few weeks later several signs went up around the neighborhood notifying the neighbors that a sweet family was missing their dog, a boxer! I saw the signs one morning on the way to take my boys to school. I quickly pulled over to get the phone number listed and after reading the description of the missing dog realized we in fact did NOT have their dog. For starters their dog is a MALE and the one we have is a FEMALE (I could be mistaken but last time I checked dogs don't change genders if they run away from home). Their dog has what is called a brindle color of hair and ours is known as a fawn coloring. Their dog has a clipped tail our does not. They even had two separate pictures of their dog and it IS NOT the same dog.

If anyone who reads this knows the owner of the dog we have we are MORE than happy to return her to her owner. She has been taken well care of here and has been well loved but we are not completely attached. Most of all we are defiantly NOT dog nappers...we leave that up to Cruella DeVille.

We're trying to live the laws of the land and the laws of the gospel...thus we don't steal. If by chance you might have had this silly conversation with your child or they possibly overheard a conversation about this dog and heard that we "stole a dog" please help them understand all the details of the situation! If you have any questions or know the dogs rightful owner don't hesitate to call! Thank you!

New Name

2012-01-15T19:28:00.000-08:00

On the way to church today the boys asked why they had to call me mom. I didn't have a very good reason why, I just told them that's the way it works. They decided they wanted to come up with a new name for me and they one they decided on was "Diary Queen" I had to laugh to myself because little do they know how much meaning that really holds in my life right now. ...Nursing my four month old on command. :)

So all afternoon I've been saying "what" to the name of Diary Queen.

Yesterday I signed the two oldest up for baseball...As I was filling out the paperwork I had the conversation in my head of why I was doing what I was doing. I'm coming to grips with the fact that Saturdays will be full until May and week nights will be busier than they already are. And to think I only have 18 more years of sports...Hooray.

Lumber Jack and a few weeks of waking up VERY often through the night...like every 1-2 hours. The last few nights he's been back to a solid 10 hours of sleep. I hope it sticks.

Crate-the-walking-tornado found a blue and red pen on his fathers desk and colored on the cream colored couch along with his green marker. I happened to take 3.57 minute shower and choose not to keep him in the bathroom with me as I usually do to avoid stuff like this. I guess I learned my lesson.

I also found Crate once again sitting on the six foot cinder block wall...not his first time of doing this. I guess I can't sit and nurse anymore...and to think I thought the other two were busy boys...I had know idea what was coming.

Time to put the tornado to bed and call the hazmat crew in to clean up his mess.

2012-01-10T21:11:00.001-08:00

Green marker on my cream colored couch is evidence that I live with a two year old.

A set of Ronald Dahl books lying in random places around the house is evidence that I live with an eight year old.

Special Papers (read: every paper that is brought home from school is special) piled up on the counter is evidence that I live with a 5 year old.

Nursing pads and spit up rags are evidence that I live with a four month old.

An absent husband/father is evidence that we live with a good man willing to support his family and serve his Heavenly Father.

A smile on my face is evidence that I find joy in and love those that I live with.

2012-01-10T20:56:00.000-08:00

How is this for an awesome quote...

"God is eagerly waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as he always has. But he can't if you don't pray, and he can't if you don't dream, In short, he can't if you don't believe."

~Jeffrey R. Holland

It's been busy...Pop's has kept me busy lately. At least parts of it are fun. Lately I've been shopping for him and staging houses. The fun part is the shopping, the not so fun part is the two year old and 3 month old coming along. The fun part is that its a nice budget, the not so fun part is that it's not my money or Pops' which means I don't get to keep any of the stuff. The fun part is decorating a house with accents, the not so fun part is that it is not my house.

When I'm ready to update my bathroom decor or update little things around my house I'll know where to go and I know the colors I want to use!

Can it be that Lumber Jack is already four months old? NO, this can't be going by so fast.

Welcome 2012

2012-01-03T20:48:00.000-08:00

I think it was in 2010 that I committed to blog every single day of the year. If my memory serves me right I only missed a few days of not blogging. I thought about doing that again this year and then I quickly remembered that when 2010 was over I told myself I'd never do that again. So I'm not. It was fun for the memories but not fun doing it. Anyhow...

Anyone want a free dog? I've had issues with her tonight.

Anyone want free children? Just kidding.

Anyone want free chocolate? I have a stash that I desperately need to give away before I consume it all.

That's all the free stuff I have at the moment.

Backing up a week or so...

Christmas, let me talk about Christmas before I forget about it.

So on Friday, Christmas Eve eve...or the day before Christmas Eve, we headed over to Aunt Jennifer's house to meet up with all the cousins except the Colliers who live to far away...next year right Julie? All of us, yes grandparents and cousins and aunts and uncles and uncles girlfriends spent the night at Aunt Jennifer's house to kick off Christmas. Friday night we ate the best fajita's known to man...thanks to Uncle Ryan, the master of all grill masters. The grilled meat and veggies were amazing and we had all the fixings to go along with it and a whole bunch of other food to snack on through the night. After dinner the kids played and then got dressed up in their costumes to reinact the first Christmas night. Buster played Joseph, cousins Ashlynn was Mary, Boss and Crate were wise men, Randi and Brayden were Shepard's, Chloe was the star/angel and Saige was whatever she wanted to be. And of couse Lumber Jack was baby Jesus. Pops was the narrator, Mamie played the piano and the rest of us were the choir. This is a tradition that is like 100 years old in my family...every year the youngest generation gets to do this. It was sweet to watch them again this year.

Once that was done we bundled up and loaded in the back of Uncle Ryans trailer and headed off to do some caroling to a few older couples not to far away. Crate was in heaven riding on the trailer, the boys loved being silly and singing in a silly voice and I'm sure the neighborhood was more than happy to have us be back home. They all had a blast.

Everyone settled in to bed quickly for the most part and then Saturday morning we had a delicious breakfast made by Aunt Jeaniece, after which we opened presents from the grandparents, played around and headed out to come back home. The boys thought it was so cool to have everyone spend the night and they hope they can do that every year.

Christmas eve night we headed out east to spend the evening with Pops' side of the family. We ate yummy food, hung out, opened more presents from Grandma, the boys played and played with their cousins and then we called it a night and headed home.

In following tradition the boys got to open one gift on Christmas eve...which is always PJ's. Once again they thought their PJ's were "the coolest thing ever"...I think they were just overly excited. Then we made each person's bed in our master bedroom and they all fell asleep. Each Christmas eve we all sleep in the same bedroom...it makes Christmas morning happen for all of us at the same time. I like it that way.

Christmas morning came and before heading out to see what Santa left we ready Luke 2...which was funny cause the boys were quoting it as Pops was reading, I guess they've heard it a time or two. Then headed out to find a new bike for Buster and scooters for Boss and Crate. Lumber Jack was thrilled to find a ring toy...ok not really but the other three were pretty stoked.

Since Christmas was on a Sunday this year we needed to get moving after presents...honestly I wasn't every excited to hurry and get all dressed up but I have to say that the highlight of Christmas day was going to church. The spirit was really strong that day and the music really touched me. It seemed to make Christmas so much more special being at church. I wish every Christmas could be on Sunday. I was hoping to get a family picture of all of us dressed up but Pops had to leave about 30 minutes before us and he didn't get home until about an hour after us so that didn't happen but they all looked very handsome.

The rest of the day we spend hanging out with each other. I made a ham for dinner along with Pioneer Woman's green bean dish, a de-lish potato dish, raspberry salad and homemade rolls and raspberry butter. To top it off we had cucumber/lime water and ate at the dinning room table. The boys actually had descent manners but when the dinner was over I realized I forgot to put out the name plates I had spent an hour making a few days earlier...not cool. I will be saving them for next year.

Once again Christmas was so neat and fun for all of us. For me my favorite gift was the one I'm using right now...Pops surprised me with replacing my computer. I was so excited, and happy to retire my eight year old computer...now I just need to figure out how the Mac operating system works. Hopefully by next Christmas I'll be a pro at this thing.

I'm excited for a new year and think our focus word for the year will be "LOVE"...More on that later.

P90X~2 started this week. Holy Cow can you say intense? Must go to bed so I'm ready for the early workout.

P.S. I'm not proof reading this...it's too long so I hope there are no major mistakes. :)

Audios 2011

2011-12-31T22:10:00.000-08:00

I had to get one last post for 2011.

What a great year...we added a new family member, it can't get better than that.

It's almost midnight and every single person in the family is still up. Tomorrow should be an interesting day. :)

I'm looking forward to a new year, an opportunity for accomplishments, and the blessing to make decisions that will better us all.

I look forward to making the best of what 2012 holds.

Let the count down begin!

2011-12-19T19:33:00.000-08:00

Used this link http://www.latter-dayhomeschooling.com/2010/12/symbols-of-christmas.html for our Family Home Evening lesson tonight.

I know there are many different opinions on whether or not Santa belongs in Christmas. I like to use the term "moderation in all things." In our house Santa is apart of Christmas as is Christ. I think this lesson really helps to bring the two together.

We're all a little excited around here...OK maybe a lot excited. Over 300 rolls packaged and delivered, presents are wrapped, start preparing Christmas dinner tomorrow...I'm planning on making it a nice one for the family, name tags for each persons plate and cloth napkins will be included, we'll see how the manners go with this dinner. Its a wonderful time of year.

2011-12-18T21:09:00.001-08:00

Got family pictures back...couldn't be more excited. Aaron and Shannon Durda did a great job again, it's our 2nd year in a row working with them and I have been thoroughly impressed and would highly recommend them! I ordered Christmas cards tonight...nothing like waiting til the last minute. Oh well.

Been sick for too long now...hoping it'll pass very soon. It's not the best time of the year to not be 100% healthy.

I'm not sure who gets more excited for Christmas, me or the kids. I love the spirit and magic this season brings.

We still have our four legged friend around here. I think she's officially house trained. Thank goodness.

Must go to bed...must go to bed...must go to bed.

A few of my favorites...

2011-12-10T21:18:00.001-08:00

Family Pictures today...a success I hope, only a few meltdowns

Four kids at the mall with only one adult on a VERY VERY busy day...wouldn't recommend it.

Four tired kids at Fry's to pick up food for Stake Conference...fist fight breaks out in front of the deli counter...embarrassing.

Late to pick up babysitter for adult session.

Late to adult meeting.

Off to bed. Very busy and tiring day.

And to think it all starts again tomorrow at 6am. Hooray.

2011-12-07T22:25:00.001-08:00

Christmas presents for the family are wrapped. Thank you Wednesday nights for keeping Pops out late...I am always very productive on these nights. I find it totally funny that the gifts are basically right in front of the boys eyes but they would never know. I wonder at what age they'll start snooping around?

Family pictures are scheduled for Saturday morning. I will not stress out...I will not stress out...I will not stress out...

Pops wants a few ties for Christmas...boring, but that's what he's asking for. I'm trying to decide if taking four kids to help pick them out is worth it or not. Should I just get a sitter and go by myself or try and make it a happy memory? I took four boys into Kohls the other day...that was interesting.

I think I figured out the treat for the neighbors and friends and it doesn't include chocolate this year. I think it'll be great though.

I have every intention to get Christmas cards out after family pictures...I hope it really happens.

The boys went to bed with no problems tonight. That is a miracle I will gladly welcome every night.

I finally discovered pinterest tonight...this is not good. I was supposed to be in bed two hours ago.

Service

2011-12-06T20:39:00.000-08:00

Can this month just slow down? I want to be able to savor each special Christmas activity and create memories for the boys that only this time of year can provide. I have made a commitment not to over schedule or be to busy and just simply enjoy those around us. I think it works out much better in my minds imagination than in reality. Then again, lots of stuff in life works out that way. Such is life.

Several years ago when Pops was serving as Young Men's president he had the opportunity to meet with a home-bound sister in the ward on a weekly basis. He got to know her pretty well and for about 3 or 4 years Pops would take the boys and I to her house each Christmas morning and we would visit with her for a short time since she didn't have many family members around and would spend most of Christmas day by herself. She died about 4 years ago and since then Pops has found another individual or family for us to visit with on Christmas morning. We're hoping that by doing this the boys will recognize how simple and fun service can be and that they will remember other people not just themselves on Christmas day as they get older. This year has brought some changes and now Pops seems to know many more elderly ladies who are lonesome this time of year. It looks like our visits to them will start much earlier than Christmas day, like maybe this week. I'm excited to offer this very small and simple act and hope that the boys will be on their best behavior at others houses and remember to serve those around them always. The older I get the more I realize that one of the best ways to become more Christlike is through service, for Christ's very life was a life full of service. Just when I think that there is no time to visit others or serve that's when it needs to be done the most. I hope I can have the right attitude and desire and serve this month. My entire life I've been blessed in countless ways, never should I deny the opportunity to bless someone elses life.

Speaking of service, for my memory I want to record how our family has been served recently.

The following are acts of service that may seem simple to the untrained eye but to me they are complete acts of selfless love.

First is the service our home teacher offers every single week. Never before have I had a home teacher that serves each week. You see, Pops doesn't get to sit with us during church on Sundays, sometimes he's not even in the chapel so he can't give the boys the "wait till we get home" look. I can't point to the front and say "look boys your dad is watching you, please sit still." Our home teacher makes sure that he and his family sit right by us and they help out and sometimes completely take over with the boys. Many Sundays I have to go out and nurse and I can just get up and leave and know that right behind us is a family waiting to help out. I know that right behind us is a family that isn't judging me for not having perfectly quiet kids during sacrament meeting. Crate is always so excited to go to church because he knows that Hannah and Mary (our home teachers two daughters) will be waiting to hold him and play with him and most likely will have brought something fun and interesting for him to be entertained by. He also knows that it's most likely that someone in that row will have a piece of gum he'll try to fight for! I can truly say that our home teacher goes above and beyond the call of duty. To me this act of service means more than any tangible thing that could be done around our house. It gives me peace of mind each week knowing they are willing and ready to help out.

Another great act of service? How about the sweet primary president in the ward who on her own realized a need I had in my calling and gave her sweet daughter the opportunity to serve me. Sweet little Kadyn comes over each Wednesday afternoon and plays with Crate for the hour that I am doing cub scouts. Typically Pops isn't home or he's locked in the office and not able to help out with the three youngest. Crate LOVES knowing it's scouts because he knows that means he gets to have Kadyn all to himself. He drags her around showing her what he wants to do and she goes along with it. She even picks up the play room when they are done playing. This girl is probably the sweetest 8 year old girl I've ever met. And what a great example of Christlike service this girl is setting for herself, her family members and my family members also. Not to mention her mother who so willing volunteered her services and drops her off and picks her up each week. To me, the mother listened to the spirit and looked for opportunities to serve and in doing so has blessed my life and lifted a burden from me while I do my calling.

Then there is Hannah and Mary (our home teachers daughters again) who call every so often and ask if they can come over after school and play with the boys. I say COME ON OVER! It provides such a great act of service especially during that wicked 4 o'clock hour. When they come over I am able to get dinner ready, laundry folded, house picked up and what ever else needs to be done. Lumber Jack gets held and gets all the attention he wants, Crate is in heaven with the attention and the two older boys love it cause that means they have two girls to torture! I love having them over.

Then there is my sister who showed up with her family while we were gone one day and took a large load of stuff that was piling up on the side of the house to the dump. We didn't have a vehicle to get it there and sometimes the project has not been a priority so we hadn't made the time to do it. We get home and realize how clean the side of the house is. What a wonderful surprise! They served us and while doing so allowed an opportunity for their children to feel the spirit of serving.

Or my other sister who generously gave two of their Legoland tickets to us to help make our quick trip possible. She could have sold the tickets and gotten all her money back but she chose to do a huge act of service and gift the tickets to us. We had a fun family get-a-way and were blessed by her service.

Then there is my mother who pops in just to see the kids. The boys LOVE when she comes and they always want to go home with her. Usually when she's here she'll fold a load or two of laundry, clean up the kitchen, always changes diapers and will chase the boys around the house making them squeal and scream with excitement. An act of service that has created lots of fun memories.

Or the friend who texts me and says "have you started dinner?" then goes on to say don't start it, I'm bringing dinner just preheat your oven. I threw together a side dish and in a few minutes dinner was done and I didn't do much of anything. She blessed our lives and I pray her life will be blessed for it.

The more I think about it, the longer this list will get. Our family has been blessed in very large and small ways. The size doesn't matter though, each time we are humbled and grateful and pray those that are serving us are blessed beyond measure. I hope to always offer service without being asked and look for opportunities that will set the example of service for my boys.

Each day I ask myself the question, "How can I be of service today?" Crazy how I'm the one asking the question yet I'm the one being served. Service is a blessing to those giving it and those receiving it. I also have learned everything you do or give comes back ten fold. I hope I'm doing/giving goodness always.

2011-11-30T20:19:00.001-08:00

Holy cow! Time literally flies by and sometimes it feels there are just not enough hours in the day. A quick recap of life.

Last week we took a last minute quick trip to Carlsbad, CA and visited Legoland.(We left Monday afternoon and came back Wednesday.) The boys of course had a blast. When I ask Crate what the best part of the trip was his response is "ruff, ruffs" which translated means "waffles". The kid is obsessed with waffles and the hotel we stayed at had big huge ones for breakfast. He was in heaven. I do have to admit they were really good.

The best part of the trip for me was the drive to and from California. I drove the entire time both ways cause Pops had to work and prepare some big upcoming church assignments. I'm thankful for technology that allowed us to take this trip and that Pops didn't have to miss much work. Is it wrong though that he walked around Legoland with his ipad? I say, "heck, if that's what it takes for a get-a-way I'm game!" I'm just grateful he has business to take care of...it could be the opposite. Anyhow the drive made it great for me because I did absolutely nothing except drive for 5 hours. Pops had to deal with the issues of "I want a snack" or "when are you going to be there?" There may or may not have been issues such as "he's touching me" or "that's not the movie I want to watch" or "he can see better cause he's closer to the screen..." I just sat there with my ear phones in and listened to the entire general conference session for October 2011 once again. I also listened to the Priesthood session...man that's some good stuff. It was like 10 total hours of complete bliss. The stinky part was though that Pops had it relatively easy...the boys were almost perfect during the ride over there and back. For some reason when I'm the one not driving and tending to them it's not the case. Go figure. The ride home was blissful though because Crate and Lumber Jack both fell asleep about 10 minutes into the drive and literally did not wake up again until we got home. We didn't stop the entire way home. The gas tank was on E but we made it. We got home late Wednesday night...just in time for thanksgiving.

(Is this not the best site for a parent to see during a road trip?)

My assignment for Thanksgiving this year was to bring the rolls and potatoes. I tried two new recipes for these and luckily they both turned out great! The potatoes came from
Pioneer Woman and the rolls were homemade crescent rolls with a cran-raspberry butter...recipe courtesy of my friend. I have to admit I thought they were divine and enjoyed more than my fair share. But what's new...when it comes to food, especially carbs I tend to always enjoy more than my fair share. I'll take almost any type of bread over chocolate any day. We had a enjoyable afternoon with Pops' side of the family and ate our little hearts out.

In other news, we were invited to a surprise 30th birthday party for a good friend. Since she was born in the 80's the theme was an 80's theme...thus we got to dress up. Pops was calling around to some more "mature" friends of his in the stake to find a "members only" jacket to wear. I didn't know what one was but he said they were the bomb in the 80's. Well no one had one...I wonder why :)... so we took a quick trip to Goodwill and low and behold what was hanging there...A members only redish jacket in his size. By his reaction you would of thought he won the lottery. He's not one to show a ton of emotion about things but this made him pretty darn excited. It was kind of funny. Anyhow he happened to find some nasty white washed jeans and an original Tron shirt. FYI the original Tron movie came out in 1982...it's funny that he remembers that but I have to remind him of the kids birth dates...
Anyhow I picked up a few things myself, slapped on some blue eye shadow and looked like I was ready for a Sinead O'Conner concert. Remember her?...one of her songs brings back great memories of my 5th grade recess. That's another story. Anyhow...guess who won the prize! Nope, not Pops with his cool "Members Only" jacket but yours truly! Like totally rad, huh!

(To bad you can't see Pops' pegged pants with his matching red high tops...and yes, he did grow a nasty mustache for this...it worked out that he didn't have any church meetings that week so he was able to grow it. I'm glad he shaves.)

We had a great time at the party and once again I am grateful for good friends who accept you for who you are and for fun games.

The tree is up and the house is decorated. This is how Lumber spent his time while we decorated... (He loves his thumb)

But then he joined in on the fun!

We still have the dog...not quite sure what I was thinking by wanting to keep her. Anyone know of someone missing a dog here in the area? She's awesome with the boys, quiet and pretty obedient but is still a dog and does shed hair. Luckily it's short hair.

Monday I felt like this house was smelling like dog and it desperately needed to be cleaned. If I wait during the day to tackle the major cleaning I feel like I ignore the boys and then it literally takes me all day. So yesterday morning I set the alarm for 3:30am got up, did all the sweeping, mopping, bathrooms laundry, dishes, dusting and finished up just prior to 7am in time to get the boys ready for school. It was awesome. I wasn't interrupted at all, no distractions and I had the whole day ahead with everything here at the house caught up on. I think this will be my plan of attack once a week until I can hire someone. :) I would highly recommend it, I got a 40 minute nap on the couch in the afternoon and was good to go until bed time.

However...it's now 24 hours later and you would never know I was cleaning...Thanks to the dog though the floor has stayed cleaner than normal. Maybe it's worth keeping her just for that reason, a personal broom that doesn't argue or give excuses when they're asked to sweep the floor. I'm sure my kids are the only ones that would care not to sweep a floor ever again in their lives. I hope their wives LOVE to sweep, because they don't.

Speaking of bedtime...it's about that time now.

2011-11-18T22:02:00.000-08:00

This week Lumber had is two month check up. He's weighing in at 15lbs 11oz. And really long I just can't remember the exact inches. He's at 100% for both height and weight...at least he's proportionate, right? I got jipped (don't know how to spell that one)on having a new born because I birthed a 3 month old and now at two months I'm carrying around the size of a 6 month old baby but he's big and healthy and happy. So it all works out.

A very friendly dog followed me home on my walk today. And she's still with us...we might have just picked up a new pet if we can decide on a name. I'm not one to take in stray animals, actually I hate strays, but this one is a boxer like the dog we used to have and is so well behaved. I'm sure a family somewhere is missing her so for now we'll take care of her. Tomorrow we'll post signs to try to find the owner...if not we might claim her. It kind of grosses me out not knowing exactly where she came from so we gave her a super good bath tonight and made her clean and pretty. The boys are in heaven, especially Crate. For Pops...well let's just say the rest of us have a lot of kissing up to do around here for him to get on board and let her stay around. For me, I'll be happy to have another female in the house...even if it comes with four legs.

It's been pretty crazy around here lately and we need some good old fashioned family time...I just booked a hotel and got a screaming rate...can't wait to get a way. It'll be a surprise to the boys and I think they'll be stoked! And a HUGE thank you to a more than very generious sister...you know who you are and what you did. Let's just say no one compares to her!

Can you say embarrassing?

2011-11-16T20:50:00.001-08:00

So last week I received an email from The Pioneer Woman about a pork roast with apples and onions.I happened to have a pork roast sitting in the fridge that needed to be cooked and I had everything on hand so I decided to make it. It was a pretty big roast so that afternoon I decided to invite some friends over for dinner and asked them to stick around for family home evening. That was at about 2pm and they were scheduled to come at 6pm. Well...I checked the roast at 5pm and thought to myself..."it must cook really fast this last hour." I checked it again at 5:45pm and sort of freaked out. It was still pretty much raw. (Give me a break, I've only had 12.5 years to learn to cook...) After a slight/major panic attack I had Pops take a look at it and he suggested pizza or take out Chinese.

He called our friends (i was in the kitchen with a paper bag over my face learning to breathe again, and to embarrassed to call them) he explained our dilemma, they decided on Chinese, Pops left to pick it up, they came over, we ate, had FHE and by 9pm that roast made my house smell like heaven. We ended up eating it the following night along with the wild rice and pecans. Let me just say...IT WAS AMAZING. I'm not a huge fan of roasts but I would defiantly do this meal again. It really is the perfect fall/winter meal plus it's super easy to put together. I've since used the meat for burritos and tonight pulled some out of the freezer and threw it in the veggie stir fry I was making...Pops doesn't care for the veggie part so I put it in there to make him happy. A little meat for that man makes him happy...I like men that are happy around here...big men and small men.

I was so thankful our friends were gracious enough to roll with the punches. We had a good time with them and it helped me realize once again the importance of good friends. Sometimes life gets busy and I'm glad we took a night to relax and enjoy the company.

2011-11-16T20:41:00.001-08:00

I've realized what things make my days a success right now...

Those things include (but are not limited too...)

no poop leaking out of diapers in a 24 hour period.

a play room cleaned up at the end of the day.

dinner that the entire family enjoyed.

floors that do not say "crunch, crunch" when you walk on them.

no laundry in the laundry baskets.

kissing the spouse even if it is just a peck.

and happy children.

My days may not consist of meeting with the big wigs at the office or writing a law that would better the country or a paycheck (big or small) but that's alright. I'm a no-name mother of four doing the most important job I'll have on this earth. And I'm doing my dream job...I've wanted this job since I can remember and that makes me happy. I'm contributing to society one child at a time.

2011-11-15T15:37:00.001-08:00

Crate spilled the beans today...literally. There are raw kidney beans all over the pantry floor.

Then Boss decided to "slide" in the beans. Now they are all over the kitchen floor.

And to think this all happened in 54 seconds while I was getting something for the oldest child.

I'm headed for the chocolate...

Blessing day

2011-11-13T21:25:00.001-08:00

Little Lumber was blessed on October 16, 2011 by his Pops. It was an awesome blessing. We did it that day since family was still in town from the wedding and because I knew that if we didn't do it soon Lumber Jack wouldn't fit into his blessing outfit. :) My Aunt made this blessing outfit for Buster when he was born and each boy has been able to wear it since. Lumber started out big and was getting bigger by them minute so we needed to get that taken care of. He didn't cry during the blessing and was awake the whole time. I considered doing a luncheon afterwards like I did with the three other boys but most my family wasn't able to stay around for it and Pops was scheduled with meetings a good chunk of the afternoon so he wouldn't be around and because of a few other things it just worked out better to pass on one this time. I enjoyed spending the Sunday afternoon with the boys.

Student of the Month

2011-11-13T21:11:00.000-08:00

Boss was sad when Buster got student of the month for September and he didn't. I explained that if we works really hard and is a great example in class his teacher could select him sometime during the year as student of the month for his class. He was thrilled when they announced his name during morning announcements the very next month. I was just as excited...I didn't want it to come to the end of the year and have to try and explain why he was selected all year long. :)

We got to go as a family to the school early one morning and eat breakfast with all the other students of the month and the school principal. Boss was on cloud nine. He's doing awesome in school and since I'm bragging about him I will throw in there that his teacher just informed me this past week he passed a pilot test for kindergartners with the highest score in the entire kindergarten...so high in fact she's thinking it might be best for him to skip kinder and start first grade. I told her that's flattering but we'll stay put for now. She agreed to challenge him in different ways during the school day and I'll continue to work with him here at home. The kids mind is amazing...however his listening skills here at home can use some work.

(and yes, that's chocolate on his face from his breakfast of champions...donuts...)

Wedding Bells

2011-11-13T20:29:00.000-08:00

October brought a wedding to our family! My dad got married to the lovely Janice and we're happy to have her in our family.

Here are pics of the very nice, yet very hot day. The boys had a blast at the temple playing with their cousins while I witnessed the ceremony. Thanks goes to Pops for staying out with Lumber and making sure he didn't get mauled by the girl cousins.

Dad and Janice and all their grand kids

The Luncheon was wonderful. However I was very nervous with four boys and all glass plates and glasses...only one glass broke the whole time we were there...pretty impressive if you ask me. :) Boss enjoying trying to act like and gentleman.

Crate had a blast playing on the restaurants patio...actually all the cousins did. It's amazing how every time we get together the cousins play perfectly together. They played hide and seek and tag most the afternoon.

I'll leave out the pics of my sisters and I laughing our heads off at the funny poses we were making for Pops who was behind the camera. Let's just say we were all a little tired and wired and laughed so hard several times I might have peed my pants...or dress. I guess that's what four kids will do to you. I had a great time hanging out with them. I seriously couldn't sit up straight I was laughing so hard...J, you gotta see the picture he took of you with the numerous plates of cake...it's a good one. I thought about posting it but I'm not that mean. :)

Pops had fun messing around with the camera taking pics of the family on the lawn at the Temple

If you didn't know better you would think this is Crates mother...not me

If you ask Crate who is "BFF" is he'll say "Jen, Jent" which means Aunt Jennifer. He loves my sisters and even better my sisters love him like their own. My kids couldn't ask for better Aunts. They love my boys and act so excited each time they see them.

And if someone was looking for Crates dad they would probably point this guy out...

Uncle "chi chi" (AKA Uncle Casey) is by far Crates favorite uncle. Now you know where Crate gets the red hair from!

After the wedding and luncheon the brother in laws left for a guys day at some car races my B-in-law had tickets to and the sisters and kids came back to our house to hang out. The kids played and played together and my sisters were kind enough to clean out my closet with me. It was a big project I was dreading to do and it got done that night. Thank goodness. I owe them big time.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-13T20:17:00.000-08:00

As always Halloween was a blast this year. I tried to get the boys to do a family "theme" for the evening but the each wanted to be something different. And lets face it...this night is for them.

Buster wanted to be a ninja, Boss wanted to be a scary skeleton...he had to make sure it was scary, Crate wanted superman and Lumber...well thanks to my good friend Heidi, he was a skeleton like Boss.

Pops took them out around the neighborhood while I stayed and passed out candy then we switched and he stayed home while I took the boys to the party they were invited to down the street. Thanks to Erin for making it another great Halloween party!

(Crate did not want the pictures taken...he wanted to grab his bucket and head outside)

They've enjoyed swapping candy and I think Buster has been using pieces of candy to bribe Boss to do Busters chores for him...Poor Boss loves his big brother so much he'll do anything he says. Stinker Buster...he gets away with it all the time.

2011-11-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

I think my computer might have officially crashed. All I see is a blank screen...not good. Thankfully it's not the only computer in the house but it is the one I'm very used too. I'm hoping Pops can fix it and hoping he can fix it soon.

Boss lost his first tooth tonight...it was very exciting once we discovered it was gone..the only a problem is....we don't know where it went. I'm thinking Boss swallowed it and didn't even realize it...that would be typical of him. I keep telling him he looks so cute with a missing tooth, he also looks so much older which makes me very, very sad. I'm not ready to have my kids grow up, I cherish their innocence and don't want to watch it fade away. He wrote a note to the tooth fairy hoping that will be good enough to get some cash...I hope Pops has some cash on him or I'll have to raid Busters piggy bank...how messed up is that? Luckily I'm not fighting for mother of the year around here.

Crate is defiantly a two year old now and loves to act like one. It's quite embarrassing and I'm sure people that witness his two year old fits think I have no control over my children but then again those who judge me probably have never had a two year old themselves. He threw his first outburst a couple of weeks ago while I was visiting teaching...it wasn't so classy.

Buster got a few new books at the school book fair and woke up at 7am today just to read more of his book. I was happy that's the way he spent his first hour of the morning and I was even more happy he didn't wake me up. Pops was gone by 5 am today and so that meant I could sleep in as long as the little monkeys slept...the two youngest slept til 8am and so did I. I felt like a new woman considering my wake up time during the week is 5am.

Little Lumber continues to be the PERFECT baby. I have nicked named him "perfection" but pops says we can't call him perfect til he changes his own diapers...I don't agree. He sleeps through the night, I have to wake him up at 5am to feed him so I can exercise, he goes right back to sleep and sleeps in until 7:30 or 8am. He is asleep usually by 8:30 at night too. He is strictly nursing and nurses like a champ. He is very content, happy and easy going. I pray it stays this way ALWAYS. I know it's a huge blessing he has this type of temperament, with all that is going on right now in our family life I know I would end up in a mental ward if he was a super needy baby. Little miracles that the Lord has blessed us with have not gone unnoticed.

I have a ton of pictures to post of recent fun activities and a lot to catch up on so hopefully the computer will be up soon. Time is flying by and I think it's absolutely insane that it's already November. Again...can time just slow down for a few moments? My kids are growing to fast...my husband is getting older which means I'm getting older, which means I'm supposed to be more mature which isn't always the case. I miss being able to blame my stupid thinking or stupid mistakes on my age...now I have no excuse. :)

Time for bed. I have a gratitude post in the works...its getting longer and longer which in this case is a good thing. :)

Actually it's time to raid son number one's piggy bank...is it sad he's the one with the most cash?

It can be done!

2011-10-26T20:39:00.001-07:00

I can take the four boys out for the entire day by myself to a public place and have it go smooth. Even was able to nurse in public and not be noticed by anyone. Maybe our lives can continue on...

The birth story ~ Part II

2011-10-23T22:09:00.000-07:00

It's about 4:30pm and the nurse brings me a birthing ball.

Let me get off topic here and make mention of my nurse. First off doing a natural birth in a hospital is always a gamble when it comes to who your nurse is going to be and how supportive they will be of your decision to have a non-medicated birth. I lucked out. This girl was simply amazing. She mentioned she was excited to be apart of a natural birth and she said she wanted me to be in charge of the situation and that I should tell her what I wanted and needed. She gave me space, kept the lights low, controlled who came in and out of the room and was simply perfect. She was literally an answer to a prayer.

Back to the story...

I'm using the birthing ball and my other life saving device...my iphone. I was starting to loose more fluid and beginning to get very uncomfortable so I grabbed my head phones, turned on Pandora and found a station playing soft classical baby lullabies. Listening to the familiar tunes of these sweet lullabies kept my mind focused. As I listened and with each contraction I would repeat in my mind. "This contraction is good for my body." "My baby is moving his way down." "I am strong and in control" "This is easy" "Each bit of discomfort brings me closer to meeting my little baby" "Heaven is with me" "I am not alone" All these little phrases helped to keep me calm and quiet. (Thank you Ashlee). I was honestly still enjoying what was happening due to my excitement of meeting my baby.

It's now close to 5pm and I'm still at a 7. I was o.k. with that as I knew inside me progress was being made. However the doc on call thought it would be best to start the pitocin. I agree and the nurse agrees to put it on the lowest drip setting possible. I knew it wouldn't be long.

I decide to change positions and get on the bed. My nurse suggests I put the back of the bed up right and rest on my knees leaning over the back of the bed for support. I begin to break out in a sweat...this is when I knew I was almost done. Pops begins to rub my back while my sweet nurse grabs some lotion and begins to rub my feet. I still have Pandora playing and I started laughing between each contraction. I told my nurse and Pops that I felt like I was at a spa. Life was good between the contractions...pretty intense during them though. All of the sudden I felt a strong gush of fluid and I instantly say...it's time. My nurse calls the doc and when she comes back in I tell her I need to push. Another nurse and the resident are in there at this time and the other nurse tells me...don't push the doctor isn't here. My nurse quickly says to me "do whatever your body tells you to do, we'll take care of you, everything will be fine." After a couple urges to push I take out my headphones and turn my body around and get in position. I knew he was coming.

I tell the nurse again..."I need to push hard" She says go for it. Listen to your body. For the first time during any of my labors I was able to stay focused on what I wanted to happen. And I did listen to my body. I blocked out all sounds and just communicated with my baby. I let me know we would both be o.k. and I was ready to do this. I told him I would do my part as he would do his. I kept saying to him "we're a team" there is no doubt in my mind that he knew exactly what was happening and understood everything I was saying. At this point I knew I was receiving help from others whom I could not see. It was a beautiful experience.

Once again I tell me nurse I'm going to start pushing hard. She says go for it. All of the sudden the Hospital OB is there and a few other nurses but then 30 seconds later Dr. Bruce, the doctor on call, walks in. He gets dressed, they break down the bed and it all began. It was painful but again at this point my excitement was overpowering anything else. With Pops holding one knee to my chest and a nurse holding the other and my sweet nurse fanning me with the food menu ( I instantly became so hot and sweating really bad. My nurse grabbed the strongest thing she could to fan me and get me to cool down)I began to push hard. I could see that Dr. Bruce was letting the resident do all the work. I heard "He's right there! Push! Push!" and pop out comes his head. For a split second I was so relieved cause I knew one more push and he'd be in my arms. I begin to push one last time...so I thought.

My poor baby was stuck. Head out, body in. I see Dr. Bruce quickly move the resident out of the way and he tells me to push NOW! I try ... nothing. He tells me to push again with the next contraction. I quickly reply back "I don't know when I'm having a contraction!" I was in so much pain from the pressure of the baby's body I felt like I lost control and I didn't know if I could have enough strength to push him out of me. Again and in a strong voice the doctor says "Push Now! You've got to get him out!" I give a solid push with all my might, Doc's hands go up and grab his shoulders and he purposely tries to break Baby Jack's clavicle to get him out. With that last push and a broken clavicle Jack pops out! The doctor holds him up, he's crying and the nurse says "he looks like a big guy!" For the first time in all four deliveries I get to hold my baby right away. He's perfect.

All my fears were washed away. Pops kisses me on the forehead and says, "you did it. I love you."

Doc explains what he did and why. He says to the nurse "Check him out, I heard a pop and I know I broke it." I hand Jack back to the nurse but all three nurses that checked him out said it's not broke. Doc says "it's gotta be, I head the snap." Jack's moving his arms perfectly, he gets checked out and no sign of any major break. The doctor is positive it's broke in two. But it's not. I call it a miracle.

They roll the scale in to weigh this little guy and honestly at this point I'm not paying much attention. I'm now freezing cold and trying to get my focus back when I hear the nurse say "Mom! Look at the scale!, Where's your camera dad!" We look and the doctor says "Wow!!" And the nurse calls out "11 pounds 2 oz's. 22 inches long. He's a toddler" I was shocked and started laughing. I think I laughed because once I heard his weight all the sudden every part of my body hurt more. The idea of birthing an 11 pound baby sounded really painful. I think the whole room was in shock at what just took place.

Again, with the last few minutes being really intense and pretty scary I recalled once again that I didn't do this alone.

5:26pm Jack was here safe and sound and I was happy. This was the birth experience I had hoped for. The labor was calm and quiet. I learned a lot about myself and the power of the human mind. I learned about heaven and the help sent from above. I learned Jack was just as excited to come as I was to have him here. He just needed to come at the time of his choosing and I was am grateful to have been patient enough and waited a few days shy of 42 weeks to have him here. I was grateful to Pops for supporting me through another birth and standing by my side silently cheering me on. I was grateful to family and friends who told me they had been praying for weeks for a safe delivery. I learned more about the power of prayer, especially multiplied by many people. I felt like I learned about who loves and cares for me. Most importantly I learned the Lord loves me and sent angles seen and unseen to help me. I learned I wasn't left alone in my darkest hour. It was there I was lifted up the most.

To be continued...

The birth story~ Part I

2011-10-23T20:57:00.000-07:00

I feel like this birth story started long before the actual day of birth. First off, Baby Jack came as a surprise to us. We knew our family wasn't complete yet but considering the other boys took much longer to come than we wanted I figured it would be another few years before I got pregnant again. When I found out I was pregnant I cried. I was excited but very nervous. Since our insurance doesn't cover maternity care we had saved to pay for the care and delivery of Crate and I wasn't sure if the pocket book could handle another cash payment for a baby. When I found out I was pregnant it was about a week or so before Christmas. I was planning on telling Pops the news on Christmas but I broke my silence a few days before...I had to explain the sickness. When I told him I wasn't sure what his reaction was going to be. I was relieved to see him excited and he assured me all will be well and I didn't need to worry about the cost. I think deep down we both new the Lord knew our limits and our situation and if we did our part in preparing for this little guy he would make up the rest. And He did.

Fast forward about nine months. All is well with the pregnancy. I am healthy, still exercising daily and starting to have random contractions. I figured this baby was going to be the one that throws me off and comes early. Not so. Contractions continue for the next five in a half weeks. Sometimes they're really strong and I think it's time to get going and other times they are there just to tease me. Either way I felt my body getting tired from weeks of contractions.

Fast forward a bit more. My 40 week mark arrives. By this time I have been dilated to a three for the last three weeks. I go to my appointment and nothing more has happened. He asks me when I want to be induced. I tell him I don't and I say..."When I see you next time it'll be in the hospital." 41 weeks rolls around and I go to my appointment again at the doctors office not the hospital. This time he tells me he'll let me go another week but once I hit 42 weeks I need to be induced. I agree and this time he tells me, "No more appointments here...next time I'll meet you at the hospital."

During these last few weeks I got a lot of mixed comments. Some people would say things to the effect of "Good for you for holding out, hang in there." And others would say something like "why torture yourself any longer. Schedule your induction today." I was torn. I knew I wanted to avoid an induction at all costs but then I would think "am I just postponing the inevitable...should I just get it over with?"

I knew I had to get things cleared up for my own sake before this baby came and maybe get things cleared up for his sake too. After talking with Ashlee (ashleemiller.com) I was confident all was well. I knew this baby would come at the time that was best for him and I and I knew he wanted to come to our family and I knew my body would be ready for his arrival.

Friday night comes (9.9.11) Buster and Boss happen to be spending the night at their cousins house for a birthday party so it was just Pops, Crate and I. We got a sitter for Crate and went out for dinner and then to Costco for groceries. My contractions started and were consistently 10 minutes apart but not painful enough that I needed to worry. We get home, put everything away and they continue to come still 10 minutes apart. I mentioned to Pops that night that it would be cool to have the baby tomorrow cause then his birth date would be 9.10.11. He replies back it would be cool if I had the baby tomorrow cause then he would have a good excuse not to go to the stake youth activity. :) We go to bed and that's that.

Now it's Saturday morning 9.10.11. 3:17am my eyes pop open and I think to myself...did I just pee my pants? I jump up out of bed realize that my water may have just broken. It wasn't a gush like it was with Crate and it wasn't a constant heavy leak so I really didn't know what was going on. I took care of things and laid back down but couldn't fall asleep. I was to excited thinking this might be the day. I figured I better get some things taken care of if it was the big day.

From 4am to 7am I cleaned every nook and cranny of this house. I did four loads of laundry, swept and mopped the floor, paid the bills online. Ordered Buster some new tennis shoes online because I was planning on getting him some that afternoon. I registered myself with the hospitals online forms. Prepared lunches for Monday for the boys and then feel asleep on the couch from 7am to 7:30am until I heard Crate. I got him out of bed and went in to tell Pops what was going on. He was already getting ready for the youth activity. I asked him to go for a walk with me before he left to try and determine if things would progress or if he could go to the activity. We walked about 2 miles at a very slow pace and by this time the contractions were closer together a bit more intense so we decided he'd better hang around.
After the walk I called my mom to come get Crate in the next few hours and I showered and got ready for the hospital.

11am we leave for the hospital. Again, I was apprehensive to go since I wasn't in horrible pain but I needed to get medication four hours prior to delivering so I wanted to make sure I was there in enough time. I just didn't want them to send me home.

We park in the parking garage and I told Pops I was taking the stairs not the elevator down. He didn't like that idea but I wanted to keep things going. We arrived in triage, I explain to the nurse what's going on. I told her that something was leaking from me but I wasn't sure if it was a broken bag of water or not. She does a test and confirms that it is amniotic fluid and proceeds to see how dilated I am. She says "your a solid 5 almost 6" and I blurted out "I Love You!" I was so excited to be that far along. I was thankful my body was progressing at a rate that was a bit uncomfortable for me but totally doable.

I get checked in, change into a gown and start walking the halls. Pops runs to get lunch and I continue to walk coming back into the room every 45 mins so they could monitor the baby's heart beat for a few minutes. Pops does his favorite thing (not) and walks the halls with me. At about 3:30pm the nurse checks me and I'm at a 7. At this point the only major feeling I have going on is excitement. I felt like I didn't care how much pain I was in I was just excited to meet the new baby. And the beauty of it was that I was progressing but still feeling pretty good. Pops has some work stuff to take care of so I hop in the shower and relax in there for the next 45 minutes. I get out and want to start walking again but the nurse informs me that the doctor on call would like to start me on pitocin since my water has been broken for 12+ hours. After the shower I knew things were starting to pick up so I ask her to hold off on starting the drip for a few more minutes.

Then things started getting intense.

2011-10-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

Grateful...

2011-10-19T21:57:00.000-07:00

...my kids are healthy
...the weather is cooling off
...my kids sleep like logs (turned on their lights and vacuumed in their bedrooms again last night and they never woke up)
...for the new baby. He's a complete joy and I'm in love with him.
...I have money to go grocery shopping
...and money to pay the bills...most of them :)
...I can be back to exercising
...Pops didn't totally wreck the brand new stroller when he ran over it the other day.
...it wasn't me that ran over it. :)
...for my computer...even if it is old and slow.
...for friends
...for good health
...my husband
...two vehicles that still run like champs
...my floors are clean
...a baby that sleeps great already
...kids being recognized for their hard work at school
...for five minutes to spend blogging.

My next blogging goal...writing the birth story.

Crate's two!

2011-10-11T22:09:00.001-07:00

I might be biased, but I think this is the cutest redhead boy I know. I can't believe he's two already! He sure loves his little brother.

We celebrated Crates birthday be going to a pumpkin patch. I think we picked the perfect day...it was 75 degrees and there was hardly anyone at the pumpkin patch!

On his birthday Crate rode a horse for the first time and was very excited. I think the most exciting part for him was wearing the helmet, he had a hard time giving it back.

He played on a tractor and didn't want to get off...or have his picture taken.

Took pictures with his brothers...again not his most favorite thing.

Visited the petting zoo

Played in the dirt

Got lost in a huge hay maze

Had his first hay ride

Sat in his first outhouse (Funny thing is that is how each of them sits on the toilet here at home)

Got his picture taken some more

And finally got to pick out a pumpkin at the patch!

We all enjoyed celebrating Crates birthday with him. He is a special boy and our family wouldn't be the same without his sweet and fun personality.

2011-10-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

So much to report on...

~Lumber Jack is 13lbs 2oz and 23 inches long now. These official measurements came from the doctor at his one month check up. He's in the 97th percentile for his weight and 95th for height.

~Crate is now 2 and had his check up also. He is weighing in at 30 lbs and 35inches (i think). He is in the 65th percentile for his height and weight. Both kids are healthy and growing like weeds.

~A few weeks ago Lumber had his manhood rearranged and it healed great! Hopefully no more knives touch his body for the rest of his life.

~Buster received the "Student of the Month" for his class for the month of September. The family was invited to have breakfast with the other students of the month before school started and then we celebrated that night by having pizza and watching a movie together as a family. This makes it the fourth year in a row he's received the Student of the Month award.

~Having four kids has helped me to loose my insanity. I feel like I'm living in a whole different world now. My sane world was much more organized than this insane world I now know.

~Tony Horton and I are back together. I have a love/hate relationship with him. (A.K.A. P90X has started around here again)

~Boss continues to be so sweet to Lumber. He has a true love for babies.

~Lumber has visited the zoo three times since he was born, been to the mall once, the grocery store many times, church, school, the park and many other places. I don't think I took child #1 out for 90 days after he was born. Not possible with child #4.

~I REALLY enjoyed having meals come in. It made life very easy. I think spouse enjoyed it A LOT also.

~After catching a cold for a few days I think my body is adjusting to the new sleep schedule. Although I can't complain for about 2 weeks now he only gets up once at night and the last few nights he has slept for a solid 7 hours before waking and eating and then sleeping 4 more solid hours. Let's hope this keeps up. And since about the 5th night home he wakes up to eat and falls right back asleep...he's defiantly an easy baby. I also think the Lord knows I need sleep to survive or my children would ask for a new mother because of my behavior so he sends angles to help my babies sleep really well. To Him I am very thankful.

~Regarding the cold. If it wasn't for the essential oils I have, namely peppermint and a load of vitamin C and Zinc, I don't think I would have been able to kick the sickness as fast as I did. I don't care to take medication while nursing and was very grateful to avoid any of that and feel great with natural remedies.

~Halloween costumes are ready to go and the boys are very excited.

~The days are passing too quickly I must write more often before I forget this stage of my life.

2011-10-03T21:19:00.001-07:00

Tonight was parent teacher conferences with Boss' teacher. I was excited to hear what she thought of Boss and how he was doing. Let's just say all is well... Hallelujah! She loves Boss and he is more than excelling at all he does. I hope his enthusiasm for school keeps up. He amazes me with what he learns each day and I love when he comes home because there is always a funny story he is waiting to tell. His teacher did confirm that he is a ladies man and continues to chase the girls at each recess and eat lunch with all the girls. Hmmmm...let's hope he doesn't want "girlfriends" anytime in the near future.

Once I came home I was just starting dinner when Pops suggested we take the boys out to celebrate their awesome achievements this first quarter. He reminded me that at Rumbi grill kids eat free on Monday and Tuesday (makes for a cheap meal if you're looking to take out the family)so we loaded up and headed out. Let's just say I don't think we'll be doing that again for a while. As the parents, we were out numbered and it defiantly showed. Crate was as busy and noisy as ever, the two older ones were hyper, excited and giggly and the baby was fussy and wanted to go to sleep. Luckily for us the place is really casual and it was not super busy tonight...I am surprised they didn't kick us out but waited patiently until we left. As much as I love not having to cook I'm pretty convinced that taking them out was more work than fixing a meal. We might try again in six months and see how it goes.

For now life is good. Kids are healthy. Pops is staying busy and the mom has a stress fracture on the foot that she is praying will heal really soon. Lovely timing on the stress fracture, right when I'm starting P90X again. Oh well, no pain no gain, right? I opted to not purchase the boot and nurse it back to health myself. This means I'll have to switch to good supportive tennis shoes during the day, not exactly my style. If wearing tennis shoes is the worst of my problems then I got nothing to complain about.

2011-09-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

One day I'll get back to blogging. As for now other little people have taken over my life. Speaking of little people...it's amazing how one little person could create more laundry than any other person in the house. That's alright though, I'm glad he's here and more than happy to do his laundry.

For now enjoy the new pics of this precious little guy. This is the little lumber Jack at 13 days old.

I swear...either he's the perfect baby or since he's the fourth I'm much more relaxed with having him around. I think in some ways it's easier to be a parent the fourth time instead of the first...you worry a lot less and enjoy it a lot more.

No newborn pics are complete with out a picture of the sweet little feet! (I should patten that line and sell it to photographers...I could make millions!)

If you're looking for a photographer in the valley check Brian out at shutteroptic.com

2011-09-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

I think it's back to reality...

Bathrooms, laundry, vacuuming, sweeping, cooking dinner, homework all the usual stuff done today. I just kept telling myself: "I can do this." "I can handle four kids." "I am not tired." Now the day is over all four are sleep, one currently asleep on my chest as I type and I survived. I didn't get a shower and am still in my pajama pants with my hair tied on top of my head but at least I'm alive.

This little one is super sweet. He doesn't seem to be high maintenance, last night he only woke up to eat once between 8pm and 6:30am...I'm hoping that wasn't a fluke. He smiles when you talk to him and is pure joy to have. Now if I could say only say that about the other three. :)

Now it's time for bed for me.

Introducing...

2011-09-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

Our little "Lumber Jack"

He arrived on Saturday September 10, 2011 at 5:26pm and like I said before weighed in at 11lbs 2oz and was 22inches long. I will record the details of his birth in the days to come. Each of his older brothers really enjoy him. They all like to take turns holding him and thus far we have yet to see any jealousy issues.

He seems to have a very calm demeanor about him and doesn't mind sleeping as long as he sleeps in my arms or Pops' arms at night. Needless to say we've been sharing our bed with him and could have skipped on setting up the crib...hopefully he'll use it eventually. :) For the mean time I don't mind having him next to us each night.

It's nice to once again look down and see my toes and now that he's out I will paint them once again. I wanted to get a pedicure before he came but never got around to it. Now I don't have an excuse as to why I can't paint the toenails.

I had the most amazing nurse during labor...she deserves her own post. For now I'll just say that when your going through transition during labor and your nurse is right there rubbing your feet you know you got it good.

And for Pops...Again he deserves his own post but having an amazing birthing partner is what makes a natural birth doable. Since this is the fourth it's like he new exactly what to do or what not to do.

The boys got to meet him for the first time the following day. It was so neat to watch them and their reactions to their new brother.

Boss wanted to be the first to hold him...the still camera wasn't quite ready yet. He found great enjoyment with the gloves at the hospital...as did his cousins. It made for quite the giggle fest.

Crate LOVES to kiss his little brother and always has to take a turn holding him too!

Alright, Mr. Lumber Jack needs me. I will be posting the birth story shortly. For now a quick word of thanks to:
My mother, who so kindly came and stayed here at the house and made the first week with four kids a breeze. I didn't do a load of laundry all week thanks to her. The boys already miss her tons.
The three very kind sisters in the ward who brought meals...what a big act of service this was to our family.
The many people from the ward who popped in with freezer meals, gifts and sweet messages for the new arrival.
And for Pops and the boys who have been very helpful and patient with me throughout the week.

When I look at the family Heavenly Father has blessed me with I feel overwhelmed with gratitude. It is a beautiful thing.

2011-09-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

He's here safe and sound. Labor was an amazing experience. Delivery was really hard but it wasn't horribly long. He's a whopping 11lbs 2oz and beautiful. I am extremely blessed. Everything went well and I was able to hold off getting any meds once again. I can't believe I have four children. Four! Pictures will come as for right now I'm enjoying holding this big bundle in my arms!

2011-09-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

He's coming today! Can't wait to hold him!

2011-09-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

So far today I've walked four miles, climbed 15 flights of stairs, rubbed Clary Sage oil on my belly and now I'm off for a warm shower. You would think one of those things would get things going...

Maybe next post will be a picture of the little one?

41 weeks + and counting...

2011-09-08T20:36:00.000-07:00

Today I took Crate to the zoo. It was 8am and only 214 degrees outside...not bad for September. I walked and walked and walked. While doing so I sang "Pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked and walked..." Is the song now stuck in your head too? Anyhow, that obviously did not induce labor. I think I've given up on the idea that walking induces labor. Do you realize I've walked about 50 miles in the last 8 days. And that is no joke.

Anyhow I had a non-stress test this afternoon. Which was pretty non-stressful. Baby looks perfect, water levels are perfect, heartbeat is perfect...he's a pretty happy camper right about now. I'm hoping he'll pack up his camping tent and head on down the valley really, really soon. Maybe tomorrow?

Crate peed in the toilet for the first time tonight. I don't think he had a clue what he was doing but it was exciting for him non the less. However no potty training will be going on in our house anytime soon unless he's a complete genius when it comes to knowing his bladder.

You know I've been doing a lot of cleaning lately when my one year old insists on carrying the vacuum attachments around pretending to clean the furniture and floor...he's even sleeping with the attachment as I write. Holy cow...I'm ready for a new hobby other than cleaning.

Tomorrow is Friday! Yeah for Friday!

Pops has had a busy week during the evenings...I'm ready for him to be home one of these nights and get the boys to bed while I rest in a warm bath eating chocolate. (That is a really nice thought, huh.)

I should have taken a picture at the 41 week mark...I think I'm still in shock that it's come and gone and I still haven't touched this little guy.

And yes, it is a boy for sure...nothing has changed over the last 5 months. The ultrasound tech was more than convinced and so am I.

German pancakes with grapes and watermelon were on the menu for dinner tonight...can you tell that: A. I'm done cooking and B. Pops wasn't here to worry about cooking for. It's a good thing these boys have a father that lives in this home or I'm pretty sure I would attempt cooking a true dinner about once a month.

I've always been over due but this is officially the longest I've gone...Don't "they" say that with each pregnancy your body becomes more aware of what to do? I'm so done with theories now.

Buster said he thinks it'll happen tomorrow. I hope he's right.

2011-09-06T20:59:00.001-07:00

I almost thought tonight would be the night. I even started packing a hospital bag. Then I started vacuuming and while doing so I ended up taking the cushions off the couches and giving the couch a good vacuum. Then I started laundry, fed the boys, whipped down the bathrooms, folded laundry hoping that would keep the contractions coming...no such luck I guess. I didn't realize how hard it was to endure a contraction with three very LOUD boys right by my side. I think I did pretty well keeping my patience level high.

I have thought about the things I'll miss being pregnant, here are a few...

~feeling the baby move inside of me
~having people including strangers be extra nice and helpful
~the kind comments that include phrases like "you're glowing"
~the good excuse it is to get you out of things you don't really want to do. :) Not that I've ever used it of course...
~the extra care and concern people show
~the ability to be lazy and not feel guilty
~the ability to image what this new little baby will look like
~the closeness to the little baby spirit waiting to come
~the ability to park in the parking spaces marked "Expectant Mother parking" (I wish every store had a few of those)
~eating what I want and not thinking twice about it. :)Diet starts after the baby is born right?

There are many more things I'll miss and I could make a long list of the things I won't miss...no need to focus of the negative though. :)

On the to-do list for tomorrow:
~visit doctor
~attend cub scouts
~have baby

2011-09-05T18:41:00.000-07:00

Darn you Labor day...you didn't live up to your name for me this year.

I guess I still have about 5 more hours to start labor...keeping my fingers crossed.

40 Weeks and counting...

2011-09-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

This is what I see each time I look down...

This picture was taken on the due date...

I visited the doctor again this past week:

Highlight: I lost two pounds! (I think it's cause I didn't eat breakfast but either way it looked good on paper)
Low-light: No more progress since last week, still at a 3.

He told me if I wanted I could have the baby Friday...that would be tomorrow. I opted to let this little guy cook a bit longer and try to come on his own. I was happy to hear that I can go another two full weeks before we'll start talking about inducing. I'm hoping it won't take that long but I'm glad I'm not being pressured.

Once again things are all ready for this guy...bathrooms done, laundry completely done, floor is clean and each night I've been making the boys' lunches before heading to bed just in case something happens in the middle of the night. Hopefully it won't happen on the night I bypass making lunch.

I keep telling this little guy that this weekend would be great for him to come...Pops has minimal work and church responsibilities to take care of, the boys are off of school on Monday, my doctor is on call this weekend...everything looks good. I hope he listens!

Boss wanted to show off his army glasses and his "way cool sniper riffle" Pops made for him. It's amazing how an empty roll of wrapping paper can become the coolest toy in the house. Go figure...

Crate wanted to get in on the picture taking action too!

Speaking of Crate he's back to climbing on top of the table. Which means for me that all chairs have to continue to be on top of the table at all times. Lovely...the chairs are a beast to lift up and take down each time we want to use the table. Ahhh, the beauty of an almost two year old.

This is the only picture I could get of Buster...little stinker is becoming camera shy.

Lately I've been reading Alma in the Book of Mormon. His testimony is amazing along with those who were converted. Makes sharing the gospel very exciting. We have two new neighbors that recently moved in. My goal is to get to their houses this week and meet them. I hope they're nice. :)

2011-08-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's so hard to know what to write and what not to write...

Today was my fist day without the little girl I babysit. I was planning on keeping her up until I had the baby but her Grandma was able to come into town for the next month and take over. This is a huge relief because I was thinking I may start back after about a week after having the baby but now I know I am covered for the month of September. So for the first day off I envisioned Crate and I going to the library, going out to lunch as a date together and then ending up at the school seeing how we could help out in his brothers classrooms. That plan quickly changed when at 3:30 this morning, as Buster is lying next to me in bed, I hear MOM! and then feel something wet on me. Holy cow it was nasty...he puked on the bed and on the side of my body. Poor guy didn't feel good. Pops didn't know he had climbed in our bed and he slept through the puking episode so needless to say when I woke him up telling him I need to change the sheets he wasn't to thrilled. But he was a good sport to Buster and helped me put clean sheets on the bed. Thus Buster stayed home from school today and Crate and I hung around here all day.

Because of being sick Buster missed his first Pack meeting and was quite sad. I felt bad for him but his little body needs to rest and be healthy before he meets his new brother.

All day today I felt more like I was 4 weeks pregnant instead of 40 weeks. I lost my appetite, felt nauseous all day, had no energy and felt just plainly lazy and unmotivated. I am really hoping I'm not getting the bug Buster has. That would not be good.

I finally feel prepared for this birth experience. I've felt physically prepared for a long time now but not necessarily emotionally or mentally prepared. That has all changed thanks to Ashlee. I feel empowered and I know that myself and my baby are in good hands.

I am okay with people asking me "when are you going to have this baby?" or "how soon will your doctor induce you?" or "have you had the baby yet?" or "any news?" things of the sorts. I know they are just concerned and excited for this little guy. I am excited also but I'm also okay with him taking his time to come to earth. If he needs to be prepared more and spend a few more days with his Heavenly Father who am I to rush it? He's good, I'm good and it gives me more time to prepare for him also.

I'm not sure what will be more expensive this month...our A/C bill or the hospital bill. I seriously can't cool off and I think all the sweating I do each day is what is keeping me from swelling big time like I usually do. I guess that is one perk to being now 10 months pregnant during the hottest August on record. :)

On another note...Boss still LOVES kindergarten and comes home with a new song that he's learned each day. It's really sweet. I love the experiences he's having and I love that he's catching on so quickly. He's now 3/4 of the way through on his site words that are supposed to take him 3 quarters of the year to learn. He's excited to be ahead and can't wait for his teacher to give him the first grade words like she said. Yesterday he told me that at the end of class for a few minutes before the parents come they have a sharing time. He said he was raising his hand but she didn't have time to pick on him. I asked what he was going to share with the class and he said "the gospel." He had a big smile on his face and I asked him what about the gospel was he going to share and his reply was "the whole thing, I wanted to share the whole gospel with everyone." My heart melted. I hope his enthusiasm keeps up. On the other had when we are talking about who was absent from school that day he always uses the word "abstinence" for "absent." It's hilarious.

It looks like Buster will be home one more day tomorrow. It's sad to see him sick but he's so sweet and appreciative of what I do for him when he's sick...I like seeing this side of him. Maybe this side of him will come out more often and not have to involve puke.

The last few weekends have been pretty busy with Pops and he hasn't been around much so I'm looking forward to spending some family time together this weekend pending I'm not in labor. Although I think it would be pretty ironic to be in labor on labor day. :)

Now off to slumber land. I feel so grateful that I can still sleep well each night and can get up and exercise in the morning...albeit, I'm really getting VERY slow when I exercise.

Because I don't want to forget...

2011-08-27T22:57:00.001-07:00

I know as soon as this baby comes (which I hope is REALLY soon) little Crate will seem SOOO much bigger. There are some things about him that I enjoy so much right now and if I don't record them I'll forget them.

I love the way he says some words...
Pillow is said "pig-a-bow"
Papi is "potty" however Crate usually still will say "papa"
Helicopter is said "heli-pig-a-coco"
Love you is "of you"
Uncle Casey is "Uncle Chi-chi"

He tries so hard to make a scary sound like a lion or tiger but he's always smiling when he does it so it comes out sounding really sweet.

I love that fact that he'll randomly come up to me and point to my stomach and say "baby" then he'll insist on giving my belly a kiss. I can't help but think that he knows who's coming and has been patiently waiting.

His hair is so red and sometimes so crazy...it just fits him and I love it.

He's usually a very kind boy and sometimes gets his feelings hurt easily. It breaks my heart to see him so sad.

He LOVES his older brothers and gets so excited each day when we drive to the school to pick them up.

I hope he adjusts well to the good changes that will be coming to the family.

It's been a really hot month. And I'm ready to have this little baby in my arms. The boys are excited and now we're just playing the waiting game. I think this is the hardest part of pregnancy.

I've been envisioning my birth experience and pray it's one of calmness and love. I'll also throw out there that I would appreciate any prayers on my behalf during this birth...there is power in prayer.

2011-08-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

If I only knew how happy a detailed car would make me I would have done it years ago. We've had this van for almost five years and even though I've given it some really good cleanings I can't remember ever detailing it. When I got it back today I smiled the whole way home. It was like driving a brand new car. I'm so thankful it got cleaned before the baby came. Hopefully he'll think more highly of me now that he'll be brought home in a clean car...cause I know he'll be looking. :)

OK...I think everything is ready.

2011-08-23T13:11:00.001-07:00

Can you say nesting? Hello...
My kitchen cabinets are all reorganized. I now have three empty cabinets and four empty kitchen drawers. (I'm thankful for a big kitchen) Game closet is reorganized and all games with missing parts/pieces are now out of the house. Food storage is organized. Laundry room is de-junked and organized. Playroom is de-junked and clean. Coat closet is reorganized and only proper sizes are hanging up ready for winter. Boys room is reorganized and clean. Baby clothes are washed and put away. Baby blankets are clean. Crib is painted and set up. (Free crib thanks to Becky!) Car seat is washed and ready to go. Bathrooms are clean, floor is clean, furniture is dusted. ALL laundry is washed folded and put away (a miracle of itself). Swing is cleaned and set up. Van is currently being cleaned as I write.

On a side note regarding the van...I take it to the detail guy this morning. He quotes me that it'll take about two hours. I say great. Open the sliding doors to get the kiddos out and he takes one look and says "wow, that is bad you better plan on four hours." I wanted to say to him that he didn't need to point out the obvious, I know the van is dirty that's why I'm hear. I'm excited to have it all clean for the baby.

Grocery shopping is done. Bills are paid (for the time being) My two projects I wanted to finish are done...I love the way they turned out that I think I'll post pictures sometime of them. Two of the four tires on the van which had screws in them are now fixed. And my stomach is huge. I'm ready for the baby and I hope he's ready for us. I think we might be much noisier than heaven.

It's been a busy few weeks, but it also feels so good to be organized and ready to go. Can't wait to meet him!

38 weeks and counting

2011-08-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

Well...today brought another lovely check up. Now that school is back in session this means I take not one but two one-year-olds along. Pops came today and he was about as helpful as a monkey. Once I needed to be dressed immodestly from the waist down and could no longer chase the wild banshees around the room I gave him "the look" and the business on the electronic device stopped and he suddenly become a helpful man. Not sure if it was the look I gave him or the fact that if he wasn't careful I would be the one running out of the room down the hall half naked telling the wild banshees to return to our 12X12 hiding spot until the doc comes in. That would have been embarrassing for the both of us.

Everything looks good...I'm dilated to a whopping 1 cm. Blah. No biggie. I opted to not have the membranes stripped today...the crib has yet to be set up.

One thing I realized today while at the docs...The sense of touch is an amazing thing and I am grateful for it..most of the time. Except times like today; today I had to do the urine test as normal, comes with each appointment. But my belly is to big to be able to use my eyes and make sure every last drop gets put correctly in the little paper cup. So today I relied on my hand being in the exact right position...except this time it wasn't. Gross huh. Thank goodness for hand soap and I'm thankful I was at least able to get enough in there to see all looks good. T.M.I.? Sorry.

2011-08-16T13:46:00.001-07:00

I love my kids. I really do. No one would have known it this morning. I got up extra early to exercise so I could come home and make pancakes for the boys before school. They were not excited for the pancakes and the oldest even refused to try a bite. I over-reacted, probably because I was tired, my body is tired and I felt unappreciated. I even said "don't be surprised if I'm gone when you get home." Then everyone cried. Now it's been several hours since I have seen them and I can't wait to say "I'm sorry" and give them big hugs. I'm thankful for repentance. I'm thankful to be forgiven for the small mistakes and the very big ones. I know Heavenly Father forgives and loves us just the same as if a mistake had never happened. I'm thankful to see a glimpse of that now that I'm a parent and can forgive my children for their mistakes and love them no less. I hope they will forgive me this afternoon. I would never leave them. I love them too much.

Schools back in session...

2011-08-13T23:09:00.000-07:00

The first day of school has come and went. And it was a total success! I was a little nervous for Boss...considering things with him are either great or horrible. He's not a go-with-the-flow type of kid. He LOVED it and can't wait to return this next week. He asked if I could ask his teacher to have school on the weekend so he doesn't miss anything. I can't be more grateful to have a school close by where my kids are safe, educated and enjoying each day of it. They both had a great week. Not to mention I love to see them in their uniforms.

Buster would only allow one picture in the class room...I guess he's getting to cool for his parents.

Boss was trying to act too cool like his older brother but he was so excited he couldn't stop smiling.

Crate was so excited to see his long-lost friend. Once school started that meant I started babysitting again. Once again it's like having twins for 8 hours a day. Over the last week I've gotten some really odd looks and interesting comments when I take the two one-year-old's out in public and have a huge belly as I walk through different stores. Some people show empathy and some people are down right rude. It's kind of funny to mess with the rude ones. After they make their comments I stay stuff like "...it's another set of twins and I can't be more excited!" or "triplets this time!" I get the strangest looks.

Six seconds of silence

2011-08-13T22:58:00.001-07:00

The other day I was in the kitchen and I realized it had been completely quite for six seconds. Wondering what was going on I walked to the playroom to find...nothing. I headed to the boys room and found...nothing. I headed to Crates room and found...nothing. I then called Crates name and heard giggling coming from the laundry room. And this is what I found...

Crate and the dryer have become new best friends. I guess it's a better place to play than where I found him earlier today. I literally left for 90 seconds to take care of personal business in the restroom. (I do that a lot lately) and upon walking out of the resting place Crate was climbing in the second shelf of the upper cabinets to get the children's gummy vitamins. You know the cabinet above the counter that hangs from the wall. I wanted to grab my camera for posterity sake but I for saw a massive mess and possibly a call from CPS if I waited any longer.

I'm afraid this kid is going to have a hay-day when I'm nursing and immovable for several minutes at a time... That's a scary thought.

Summer Va-cay pics.

2011-08-13T22:15:00.001-07:00

You know it's been a good vacation when after six days you're asking yourself...does it really have to end?"

Some good 'ol pics of our family get-a-way!

We happened to set up for a day at the beach right next to this big whole that had been dug in the sand. Who would have known that it would have kept my boys and their cousins entertained for eight straight hours. (p.s. I LOVED being at the beach for 8 hours...I could do that several times a week. It's probably for the best we don't live any closer to one.)

Boss loved lying in the sand...he must take after his mom.

Once Monday came we decided to skip Legoland as originally planned and head to the beach again. Along with their cousin Ashlynn, the boys had another super fun day. The water seemed to be a bit warmer and Pops got himself a swim shirt so with the combo of those two things and a couple of boogie boards they were set for the day. I never knew Pops was the type to stay out in the water with a boogie board but he did. He probably was out in the water for a few hours combined. I will admit I was a little envious to not be out there with them. I tried to do it once but my belly made me tip over and it wasn't a cute site.

Enjoying our picnic lunch on the beach.

Tuesday was our last and final day. We decided to head to Sea Port Village before heading home. The cousins joined us and we ended up spending a few hours together enjoying the weather, scenery and company. The boys always have a blast when they get together with their cousins.

The boys found this gigantic statue awesome...it might have been the fact that their cousin found it hilarious to pretend to be looking up the girls skirt. They all found that quite funny. I thought it was gross. Boys...

Crate kept trying to give this man a hug...he couldn't understand why he wouldn't open his arms any wider.

The best thing about having these older nieces is the fact that they LOVE Crate and totally take over with him when they're around. It's like having a free awesome babysitter. Crate was in heaven not having to be in the stroller the whole time and I loved the fact that I could rest my eight-in-a-half month pregnant body on a bench and just watch them have a grand old time together.

It was a great trip and we hope to make it back soon...this time it'll be with four boys in tow. That's a scary thought.

Oh my silly, silly Crate...

2011-08-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

Crate has something he has to do every time I change his diaper. As soon as I get done wiping him down he proceeds to squeeze his manhood and while doing so he says in the cutest little voice..."honk, honk, beep, beep."

It's utterly disgusting yet absolutely adorable at the same time.

2011-08-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

Today the boys went on my walk with me. We only went two miles. I had one child in particular that thought I was the MEANEST mom because his legs were tired and I wouldn't let me turn around. It was a good reminder of why I go by myself. I love my children but I also love exercising by myself.

2011-07-27T21:26:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, we're home. I left the house spic-n-span and it was so nice to come home to clean floors, clean sheets, clean bathrooms and a clean kitchen with nothing on the counter tops. Now that we've been home for 24 hours...it's not quite as clean. Oh well. I was happy to find that the hotel had a washer and dryer for the guests to use so I didn't bring home piles and piles of laundry. Probably only about two loads. I had a doctor's appointment to get to this morning and then my goal was to get everything unpacked and put away. I went to the doctor, then to the scout store for Buster and I struggled staying awake on the short ride home. I was sooooo tired. Luckily for me when I got home Crate was ready for his nap so I put him down, I can't exactly recall, but I think I might have threatened the boys with their lives if they came in my room, and I laid down for a quick 30 minute power nap. Well all my senses were lost after those 30 minutes and the voices rang from the mattress saying "stay here, stay here" and at last I gave into the temptation and slept for two more hours and Crate slept for three. When I woke up the older boys were gone running errands with Pops and I felt like a million bucks. I guess I didn't realize how much our get-a-way wore me out. But then again when you're sleeping in the same quarters as the rest of the family that can only mean one thing: late nights and early mornings.

Speaking of the scout store. Holy cow that place can get expensive. .My advice: if you have a son approaching the age of eight any time in the next seven years, start saving for his scout uniform, badges and books now. And if you happen to be fortunate enough to be a den leader start saving for your uniform also.

Tomorrow is back to school shopping for two kids...I see two back to back expensive shopping trip days in a row. Looks like we'll be staying around the house come Friday. Then again, I'm thankful my kids have a good school to attend and are excited for a new year.

Tomorrow after the school shopping I am bound and determined to be completely unpacked and suitcases put away. Or maybe I'll need another 2.5 hour nap. :)

2011-07-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

Well the last few days we have been fortunate enough to take a vacation to the beautiful beach filled land west of our desert.
We had a family reunion that went off without a hitch and had some extra time to enjoy haning out with just my immediate family. There are some things I've discovered along the way...

1. When your spouse is a business owner there never is a full day when you're without your work. I'm grateful to have work though.
2. Modern technology makes work and family get-a-ways possible. Thank you apple for inventing the iPad and thank you craigslist seller who was looking to upgrade and selling for cheaper than usual.
3. Family dynamics are an interesting thing. I'm grateful for the family I grew up in.
4. If all five of us lived in a 200 square foot room for the rest of our lives I might be better off in a mental hospital. However if I only had 200 square feet to keep clean on a regular basis I would always have a clean house.
5. The boys like having a tv that offers cable channels. Its been a few years since we've had more than 8 channels and in a few short days they have become accustomed to cable once again.
6. I think it's safe to define trips like this:
~vacation is a trip that is taken with adults only. Whether it is by yourself, with a your spouse or with another group of adults...those kinds of trips can be classified as a vacation. Why? Because a vacation is a time to get away from reality and relax, clear your mind, gather your thoughts and rediscover who you are.
What our family took is not called a vacation but a family get~ a~way. You see...as the mother you still have cooking to deal with, laundry to take care of, children to attend to, hotel rooms to keep picked up and clean... those types of duties you're not able to escape from. Its a good change of scenery, a fun time enjoying each others company, fun to hang out day and night together but I don't know if I would classify it as relaxing. I'm more than happy to be out of the home and doing something different and I love creating these memories with the boys. But by night time I'm tired and ready for bed. I enjoy our family get~a~ways and I also look forward to vacations with Pops in about 20 years.

2011-07-20T23:37:00.001-07:00

These are my personal thoughts...kind of mushy tonight. Feel free to skip this post.

Tonight I sit in gratitude for the many, many blessing which have been poured over me my entire life. I had a wonderful childhood, I married the type of man I always hoped to marry and I have three, almost four, healthy children. Really what more could I ask for?

Pops has been gone at Zion's camp the last several days. I didn't know how much I would miss him. Last night the boys put on our wedding DVD. I sat there and watched it and was overcome with gratitude for where the last twelve years have taken us. Definitely not the path I would have thought, it's been better than I could have orchestrated myself. As I watched the video my memories went back to that night and the fun we had at our reception. Then I thought of that first year of marriage...an interesting one. Then memories of the second year, third and fourth, then memories of Buster coming along in that fourth year and I thought how much joy has been found and maintained over the years. I'm not saying life is perfect or trial free...it's not. I just know that I feel true joy. I've learned this joy is not bought with any amount of money but sought for and worked for. The Lord has blessed my life and I will be forever thankful for the mercy that has been shown me.

To Pops: I love you, I love you, I love you. And thank you for loving me back.
(I know I can write this and he won't get upset cause he never reads this blog. :)

I'm excited to have a solid sleep tonight. I didn't sleep well with him being gone...maybe it was the fact that all three boys and I were in the same bed. Or maybe it's the fact that I might or might not be a bit of a wuss when he's gone at night. :) Luckily I had both Smith and Wesson sleeping in the same room with us.

2011-07-18T22:47:00.000-07:00

It just hit me how close we are to having school start up again. Gurrr...I have such mixed emotions with this one. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that I'll have two in school. It makes me feel old. But having two still at home will keep me young in heart...or make me insane. Come May I'll let you know which one it is.

I should have folded the laundry tonight, instead I researched a product online. Soft roof top luggage carriers...there are a lot of options out there. Any advice on which is the best?

Pops bought me a smart phone for my birthday. I never thought I would enter the 21st century but I have to say I'm in love with it. I don't know 1/8 of the things it is capable of doing but I'm sure I'll learn eventually. All I do know is it's made grocery shopping so much easier already.

The boys had their video game privilege revoked last Wednesday. Let's just say they have yet to get it back but are trying very hard to earn it back. The desire to be obedient has increased, the whining has decreased and I promised I would return the privilege in due time but am really liking the behavior so far...I'm thinking of not giving the privilege back until school starts...am I mean or what. And yes, I let my children play video games...sinner I know.

Crate is in this stage where he repeats anything you want him to say...It's so sweet. Especially when he says the prayer. Oh, my heart just melts.

So far I feel like I've been able to keep my swelling under control...I hope it can last until the end of the pregnancy. I can't wrap my head around the fact I'll be a mother to four children...much less four boys. Holy cow, I'm excited for this little one!

Tomorrows goals: finish laundry, clean floor and bathrooms, dust and vacuum and have it all done in time to take kids to pool. I will be productive, I will be productive, I will be productive...

2011-07-12T21:21:00.000-07:00

You know it can't possibly be something good when the door bell rings at 6am. That's exactly what we or should I say "I" woke to this morning...Pops slept right through it. Shocker. Anyhow it did wake up the three boys, about two hours prior to their normal wake up time...I knew by 6:10am this was going to be just a lovely day.

So it's 6am and there is my neighbor, I use that term loosely because I've never spoken to the man, we do the normal Arizona thing and just wave to each other. Well today I was more than grateful he was my waving neighbor. As I opened the door he says "sorry to come by so early but do you know what's coming out of your garage?" I take a step out to see water literally pouring out from under the garage door and down Mt. Everest also known as our driveway. (If you've ever seen it you know what I'm taking about) I kindly say thank you, he drives away and I shut the front door, go to the door into the garage and hear and see water flowing everywhere. Lovely. The water heater and "leaked" or somewhere exploded. Who knows at what hour in the night it happened but it left it's mark. I go to tell Pops about our little problem...actually the boys and I all go cause remember they are all awake by this time...anyhow luckily we have a big squeegie thing and Pops proceeds to push all the water out. Crate only slips and bonks his head 4 times on the concrete ground and I'm only sweating on 90% of my body versus 100%. It was a lovely morning, but I'm thankful everyday doesn't start off that way.

To look on the bright side of things...nothing in the garage got ruined thanks to it being sloped, the plumber came today and replaced the water tank, Crate doesn't have a concussion and I still made it to my doctors appointment to find all is well.
There is always a silver lining behind every dark cloud.

2011-07-10T22:43:00.000-07:00

It's been several years since I regularly sat in a relief society meeting on Sunday due to callings in other places. I was grateful for the lesson today. It reminded me of a few things.

1. Find joy in raising my children
2. Don't allow anything/person or activity to take priority over completing the basic and important things each day. For me those important things are; having patience, family prayer and scripture reading, personal prayer and scripture reading, weekly family home evenings, make sure PPI's get done with Pops and the boys and have dinner as a family each night. I must make dinner a priority even if Pops is not around for it I still need to take the time to prepare and carry out a meal so I can be with the boys around the table and spend a simple and hopefully peaceful 20 minutes together. They can eat pretty darn fast some nights.
3. Seek the guidance of the spirit in everything I do. Especially in raising my children and bettering my marriage.
4. And again...find joy in rearing children. Raising children is not a task but a heavenly blessing and privilege.
5. Strive each day to do something for Pops just cause I know it'll make him happy and feel appreciated. I think for tomorrow I'm going to make him his favorite dessert just because.

2011-07-07T22:52:00.001-07:00

My pancakes from the last post look pathetic. That's okay, they still tasted descent. I did make cinnamon pecan crusted pancakes that morning for Pops and I. They were de-lish. The boys like the same old wheat and flax seed pancakes that they usually have.

This baby is constantly moving inside of me. The boys think it's crazy to see my stomach move from side to side. I'm getting really excited to meet him. Now if we can only find the name that is right for him...still searching.

These summer days are passing to quickly. I will miss being on my own schedule. The boys are pretty excited to start back up which I guess is a good thing.

Boss read a Dick and Jane book today. I was shocked he could do it, considering he has yet to start kindergarten. He said he likes reading, I'm glad someone around here likes it.

Summer seems to bring lots of forts around this house. I don't think I'll miss the mess of blankets and pillows when school starts.

My morning exercise still happens 5-6 days a week. I can tell I'm getting a little slower but am still thankful to be out there. However even at 5am it's stinking hot. I hope to continue until the very end. It's my saving grace for the day.

I'm thankful to wear flip-flops or slip on shoes most of the time, it's close to impossible to get my shoes tied now.

I really should be getting to bed.

Fourth of July 2011

2011-07-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

What do you do when it's like 1000 degrees outside and the rest of America is celebrating the 4th of July with parades and fireworks sitting on their green lawns?

You start the day off with red and blue pancakes for the kids. They weren't to sure about eating them but they soon realized the taste wasn't different just the color...I'm still wondering if they found it as much fun having a colored breakfast as I did.

Then you send the father off with the two oldest boys to a movie and put the one year old down for a nap and prepare for dinner...ribs, corn on the cob, potatoes seasoned and prepared and ready to be placed on the grill for dinner. Then you get a treadmill workout in and change into your swimsuit, pack a lunch for the family, welcome everyone home, wake up the baby and head out to Hamilton pool in Chandler with some friends and enjoy watching and playing with the boys while trying to stay cool ourselves. We had a fun time and ended up staying longer than planned so our dinner had to be put aside and saved for tonight.

Once we got home Pops gave a FHE lesson on how America came about, I finished up our American cake and we headed outside for some fireworks...right in our own front yard. The neighbors came over and we ended up having a great time.

At first Crate wasn't sure about all the noise from the fireworks but he soon warmed up and thought they were pretty cool.

We had a mess to clean up afterward but it was worth it.

At 10pm we ate our "American" cake...it was fun making this morning. Once again though I wonder if a home full of girls would enjoy it more than a home full of boys. :)

I had to convince the boys that it was cake and not pancakes from the morning put on top of each other.

Happy birthday America. I can't be more thankful for the country in which I live. God Bless the USA.

A Special Day for Child #1

2011-07-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

Buster had the blessing today of being baptized by his Pops. He was pretty excited. When I asked him if he was more nervous than excited he responded that we was way more excited than nervous.

A few pics of the special day.

What made it more exciting is he was able to be baptized with his cousin Randi who is only 5 days older!

He really loves his Pops and I'm defiantly thankful for the example that they both set for the family.

Pops and the three boys...poor Crate was just not in the mood to have his picture taken.

Boss was having a hard time with the fact that he couldn't be baptized today. Hopefully when he's eight he'll be just as excited to be baptized as he was today.

And to prove I was actually at the event...(Ahh...only about eight weeks to go)

Afterwards Pops took the boys and I out for a nice lunch at Claim Jumper. The boys were horribly embarrassed to walk in the restaurant in their shirts and ties but I swear they behaved better since they were dressed up. We had a great lunch as a family and headed back home so Pops could attend a stake youth activity. A busy, yet special day for all of us.

Here's to three more boys to follow in Buster's footsteps!

Miracles have not ceased...

2011-06-26T16:25:00.000-07:00

we actually made it through an entire sacrament meeting without having to take Crate out. Maybe he is growing up! I think this week we were much less of a circus act than in previous weeks. I didn't say we weren't a circus, just much less of one.

Today's Sunday school lesson was very insightful. I have a new desire to truly study the book of John. Being Gospel Doctrine instructor would not be my idea of a great calling but I'm grateful to the persons who are willing do it and be prepared each Sunday.

Now it's time to bake some Sunday cookies. This house smells like boys and it time for a more appitizing scent. I wonder what a house full of girls would smell like?

2011-06-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

Today I defianly would not win "mother of the year" award. I was tired, children were tired and when you have that combo it's not pretty. I guess we can blame this all on Crate...he did choose to be awake from 1am until 2am last night. Which put me over the edge for today. Then again I guess it's a taste of what's to come in about two months when I'll have a newborn. Ahhh, this is going to be interesting. On the bright side he did let me hold him for that entire hour, he normally will NOT sit on my lap for longer than 53 seconds. If there was an award for "most evil mother of the year" I would take the cake. At least I'd be in the running for something!

Now on to the "wife of the year" award...you guessed it...I wouldn't win that one either today. Pops didn't work today so I gave him a list of man chores that despretely needed to be done. I have to give props to him as they all did get done, well except for one...filling up the low tire in the van. I really could take care of that myself, maybe on Monday. Then to top off the night I made tacos for dinner. Pops is not a fan. He doesn't say anything anymore when he sees those sitting on the table because he knows my response would be "be grateful you aren't going to bed hungry tonight" or "it's better than nothing" I'm a fan of that dinner choice, it's quick and easy and best of all it's easy to clean up.

I'm really going to pull myself together and be better tomorrow. I might even fix a delish dinner. ("might" being the key word here)

At least I did get one thing right tonight...I ironed everyone's white shirts for tomorrow. Not a task I typically take care of. I will admit Pops is a much better ironer (is that a word?) than I am. He's tried to teach me how to iron well but I always seem to be busy when he wants to show me. Bummer huh.

Holy cow...I need to go to bed before I say anything else.

2011-06-23T07:30:00.001-07:00

I must force myself to be productive today and get laundry done, floors done, bathrooms done and whatever else needs to be done...no pool until it's all done.

I can do this...
I can do this...
I will do this...

2011-06-22T20:43:00.001-07:00

These summer days continue to pass faster than I ever hope. We've enjoyed the hot AZ weather by swimming everyday this week. I'm thankful for friends who invite us to swim or who say yes when we invite ourselves. I'm also thankful for super fun and super inexpensive city pools...my boys think they are better than any water park. Works for me. I'm also thankful to a spouse who made the comment the other day that since he's not able to take off tons of time from work for long vacations he doesn't have a problem taking off a few hours during the day every few weeks and is more than happy to join us on our public pool outings. The boys get very excited when he comes along because they know they now will have a diving board/water slide/wrestling buddy while swimming. Which leaves me to hang out with Crate at the beach entry. His favorite spot as well as mine.

After babysitting 40 hrs per week this past school year being home with just my boys during the summer makes me so grateful. Grateful on many different levels. Grateful I'm not tied down to any one's schedule but my own, grateful to only have my own children to care for and more than anything grateful to spouse for doing whatever it takes to provide for the family. He never has asked me or expected me to work just so we can have nicer "things" I know being a SAHM is not available or desirable for every woman but it is my ideal and I have my Heavenly Father to thank each day for allowing me the opportunity to be home.

I told spouse it's a lot easier on me to send him off on Wednesday nights than it is for me to host mutual. Did I mention I'm really enjoying Wednesday evenings? The YW were and are great but I also enjoy not having to worry about things that come with the calling. :)

I promised Pops I'd have the business books all caught up by the time he gets home tonight. I've really slacked on my duties lately. Better get off to work.

If only summer could be for nine months and school for three months.

Happy Birthday...

2011-06-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

to the best spouse in the world! We've celebrated so far by having German pancakes for breakfast along with bacon and fruit. Pops is working for a few hours (hopefully just a few)and I'm making these ...i hope they turn out as good as they look. Boys are playing all together and the kitchen is a mess! Time to get cleaning and hopefully have a great celebration for a great guy!

Mothers Day

2011-06-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

I found this piece of paper as I went through the stack of papers on the counter. Buster had made this for me at school this year for mothers day. It had a few questions on it and he got to write down his answers, it goes like this:

My mom helps our family by?
~She makes us food

The thing my mom likes to do for fun is?
~She likes to go walking

When my mom daydreams she thinks about?
~My mom doesn't daydream.

If Mom could have one wish come true, she would wish for?
~A vacation

She spends most of her time doing?
~Working and cleaning

It cracked me up. He knows I'm always talking about vacations, he knows I love a good family vacation. As far as daydreaming goes, I told him I daydream about being on vacation and not working or cleaning. :) I do like to go walking but I could think of a few other things I like to do for fun too.

2011-06-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

Paying bills today...not my favorite thing to do but I decided to sit down at the computer and set everything up so I could pay 90% of them online. I've been old school and have been writing checks but I think those days are behind me.

The boys chore for today was to clean the playroom and their bedroom, completely by themselves. I think they would have rather been beaten but it's finally done and looks great.

I don't like paying bills but I'm more than grateful to have money in the account to pay them.

Buster started golf school for the next two weeks. I heart city programs that are available, close and totally affordable. I think Pops might be more excited Buster's doing golf school than he is...Pops is looking forward to having a golf partner anytime he wants one.

This week is Buster's birthday, Pops' birthday and fathers day...all three events occur on Saturday and Sunday. Not to mention our anniversary that took place earlier in the month makes for a busy June. I asked Pops what he wants for his birthday/fathers day...his answer as always...nothing. Grrrr, it's hard to shop for him. Buster doesn't want a friend party this year instead he wants to do something "fun" as a family. He's still trying to figure out what that fun thing might be. I know he has lots of idea's running through his head. I have to say I was actually looking forward to throwing him a party with his friends but he's insistent to not do one this year.

It's getting hot and I can tell I'm getting hotter has my belly grows...it's a lot harder to cool off these days.

I also heart the schools free food program (Pop's calls it the "soup kitchen") It's been almost two weeks since I've bought a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread. Not to mention my kitchen has stayed a lot cleaner the past few weeks. I chalk it up as another blessing.

I'm now a den mother for the cub scouts...this should be interesting. Like I said earlier I know nothing about the program but what better way to learn than to be a leader in it. I'm excited and Buster is excited too that I get to work with him. I can't say I'm totally excited for the 8 year old boy humor that seems to enter them at this age...but I'm sure we'll have a great time together, even if it is laughing at some of their bodily functions and smells.

Back to bills.

2011-06-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

Buster is off at cub scout day camp. I can't believe he'll be eight in just a few days. I'll have a cub scout...and three more to follow in his footsteps. I don't know the first thing about the cub scout program or the boy scout program but ask me in 14 years and I'll know it like the back of my hand, I'm sure. I feel like our family isn't complete without him. Boss is lost as to what he should be doing with his time since he doesn't have an older brother to tell him what the next activity will be. I feel lost cause there's no arguing, one less mouth to feed and the house just feels empty. I know he's having a great time but I have to say I miss him like crazy. I'm once again full of gratitude I get to be home with the boys all day. Sometimes it makes for crazy days but I know I would miss them immensely. I feel blessed to be with them each day.

I finally got my hair done again. It had been way too long...like eight months. I feel like a new woman. Again it's the simple things in life that bring the most joy.

It's been weird having no mutual...no phone calls, no emails really nothing to worry about this week. Not bad.

2011-06-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

Ahhh...another blessed week has flown by.

Last Wednesday we headed up to Greer,AZ for a little family get-a-way. Thanks to Groupon.com we were able to enjoy luxury for a not so pretty penny. Defiantly a place I would visit again. Hopefully soon I'll download the pictures off the camera and get them on here...my goal is to do it before Halloween.

Saturday brought a couple exciting events...no pictures though...forgot the camera. We woke up early and dressed in our best Sunday dress and headed over to the Phoenix Temple grounbreaking for the new Phoenix Temple. But of course we dropped Crate off with Marmie (smart thinking, that would not have been the right venue for a 19 month old.) The older boys did pretty well sitting reverently and when all was said and done the children that were there got to go up with the General Authority and get their own shovel and turn over the dirt like the adults. They were pretty excited for that and Pops did get some cute pictures on his phone. I hope they remember this event. They were two of the few kids that got to attend and a Temple groundbreaking isn't something that happens everyday.

After that event we dropped off the two oldest with Crate and Marmie and headed out to celebrate our 12th anniversary. Holy smokes...twelve years...and we're still happy, who would've thought? We headed to lunch first at the very romantic Fuddruckers then we were off to find Pops the perfect summer shoe. He needed something that was casual enough to wear in the summer yet dressy enough to wear when meeting with clients dressed in his business summer clothes. He's a man buying one pair of shoes...how hard could this be? Well 4.5 hours later he finally finds what he hopes will work out. And I thought I spent a lot of time looking for the right shoe? I told him now I know how he feels when we has to be with me while I'm shopping...if you're not shopping for yourself it's no fun accompying someone else. I think he now officially holds the family record for longest time shopping for one pair of shoes. And he'll probably hold that record for the rest of his life. Before the day was done we did make a stop at Costco and low and behold guess who was there! Some chair massage company selling their amazing chairs. We each took a seat and proceeded to receive the most amazing body rub from this mechanical massage chair. We enjoyed it for a solid 25 minutes. The amazing salesman really thought he had us sold on his three-thousand dollar product. (If I had it to blow, I really would've bought one...it was AMAZING!) But atlas we were there only to be cheapskakes and enjoy the free massage on our anniversary. Poor guy, he's probably still waiting by the phone for our call to give our credit card number. I felt bad, he was a really nice guy. I hope he can make a lot of sales. Anyhow no trip to Costco is complete with out dropping triple digits, right? To top off our most romantic date Pops got me a mop. But let me tell you folks...this ain't just any mop it's the Shark Professional Steam Mop. And it was the cheapest price I had seen from anywhere else. He said he didn't feel right buying me a mop for our anniversary. I told him to heck with romance and hip, hip horray for something practical that I could really use. Not to mention I reminded him how much he hates walking in the kitchen having his feet stick to the floor...this might just be the magic tool that will prevent that from ever happening again. No guarantees though. We headed back to Marmie's house picked up the trio and called it a day. More than anything it was nice having a whole day together just hanging out. I could handle that happening more than once a year. :) I told him when we hit 20 years it's gotta be a nice romantic trip or something. A mop won't cut it...start saving, :)

So I busted out the mop for the first time tonight. I wanted it's maiden voyage to be memorable so the boys and I spent almost the entire day getting this place ship shape for it. All bathrooms are once again cleaned, all sheets washed and put back on beds, kitchen is spotless, no piles of laundry sitting around, freezer is cleaned out, pantry is cleaned out all tile is swept, dusting is complete, certain walls are washed down, garbages are empty, and the mop came out to do the last and final chore...clean the floors. She didn't do to bad for her first time. Floors look good, no chemicals were used in the process and the piece of cucumber that somehow got caked to the tile for the last six weeks is finally removed thanks to her steaming efforts. All in all I would give her a 4.5 out of 5. My only problem with her is the fact that it takes even longer to mop now since she has to be moved slowly across the tile. I timed myself and to do the entire throughout the house it took one hour and 37 minutes. It was painfully long but next time I'll do it when the boys are asleep and I am listening to something good in my ears. I'm excited for my "new toy" as Pops calls it. That reminds me of something..."you know you're a mother when...a new mop brings so much joy and excitement." Holy cow I'm getting old. I'm excited to wake up to a house not full of toys and dishes...I better get to bed!

All good things must come to an end...

2011-05-29T21:15:00.000-07:00

the good thing that has come to an end for me is the Young Women's program. It's been just shy of three years I've had the privilege of serving as the YW's president. But today I was released. I knew it would come to and end. I found out this morning and am excited for the girls to have new blood and enjoy changes that will come with a new presidency.

I can honestly say I never wanted to be president. It's been a good ride and I have gotten to know some really amazing girls who are faced with more challenges at their tender age than I ever faced, but I am happy to pass the title on to someone else.

I learned a lot being in this calling. I learned that if I expected the girls to listen to wholesome music and watch wholesome movies I must do the same. I learned a lot about modesty. If I expect them to dress modestly I must do the same. I learned that being modest just doesn't mean wearing clothes that cover the body properly but it means wearing clothes that aren't too tight or too revealing in other ways. I learned that if I taught them about preparing now for an eternal marriage and live up to the covenants they make I must do the same...always be preparing to be a better wife, better mother and always keep the covenants that I have made previously.
I hope I will remember to be a supportive parent when my sons are in YM's and help him to respect and admire his leaders.

I can't say enough good about my counselors. I had two sets since I served in the previous ward also before it was split. My presidency was awesome. Supportive, kind and and generous. Those ladies were the brains behind the operation. I will be forever grateful for their service they rendered over the past few years.

I think my boys will miss having the youth come over to our house every Wednesday night. Is it bad to say I won't miss making sure the house is picked up and ready for the young women to come invade it? :) I'm sure my family will start enjoying dinner on Wednesday nights again...we seemed to have tacos or pancakes on Wednesday night since I needed something that was quick and easy clean up. I am thankful for the opportunity my boys had to witness the youth and the way the youth programs in the church worked. I know they are excited to start YM's one day.

I'm excited for a new calling and a new place to serve. I hope that someway, somehow I made a difference in each of their lives. Most importantly I hope they will never forgot that they are daughters of their Heavenly Father who loves them. I can't wait to hear were each of their lives will take them. Their potential is greater than they can comprehend. They are choice daughters and are divine spirits.

My family was blessed in ways I didn't even realize over the past three years. I know I was blessed to receive strength when I had nothing left to give. I know inspiration came at times when I least expected it. It was a humbling experience and I'm grateful I had the opportunity to serve.

Temple Marriage

2011-05-28T13:37:00.001-07:00

I'm sitting here preparing the lesson for YW's tomorrow. The title is "Temple Marriage" and the objective of the lesson states:

Each young woman will understand that her decision to marry in the temple has eternal consequences.

At first I was thrown off by the word "consequences" at the end of the objective. However after studying the lesson I have been reminded how our eternal happiness depends on the choices we make ever day. It's so much more than just a marriage or a wedding day. I want to share some quotes from this lesson:

“Life is eternal. Death does not terminate the existence of man. He lives on and on. … The greatest joys of true married life can be continued. The most beautiful relationships of parents and children can be made permanent. The holy association of families can be never-ending if husband and wife have been sealed in the holy bonds of eternal matrimony. Their joys and progress will never end” (Spencer W. Kimball, in Conference Report, Oct. 1964, p. 25; or Improvement Era, Dec. 1964, p. 1055).

"...This continuing family unit is one of the greatest blessings God can give to his children."

The lesson also states:
"Emphasize that marrying in the temple is not a guarantee of eternal families and exaltation. Each young woman must strive to keep the Lord’s commandments and all the covenants made in the temple throughout her life." I think it's important for the girls to understand that a Temple marriage does not equal an easy marriage. Each marriage and individual will still be tested and tried. A Temple marriage provides the knowledge that God stands at the front of the marriage and with his help the couple can overcome the trials that are sent their way as long as both are willing to work at it and keep their sacred covenants.

This week while on my morning walk I was listening to the April 2011 General Conference talks. Just yesterday I heard Elder Scott's talk, (go here to view it). I found it so sweet and tender and just a good reminder of what a marriage can be here on earth and in heaven.

This lesson is so, so good. I hope to convey it's importance to the Young Women. Their lives can be forever blessed if they will choose the path now and in the future that will keep them true to their sacred covenants.

It's not easy but with our eye focused on the eternal nature of the plan it brings so much true happiness. Happiness that can't be explained or found any place else. I feel like I can honestly attest to the blessings and greater understanding that a Temple marriage can provide.

Randomness

2011-05-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a full week since Buster was last at school. It's been a busy week also.
Crate had swim lessons with his cousin and by the end of the two week lesson he now jumps off the diving board...not willingly but at least he can be thrown off and swim to the side on his own. He may or may not scream during the process but bottom line is he knows his way to the side and now when we're by a pool I don't have to keep my eye on him anymore. (That was a joke in case you're wondering.)

Since school as been out I've realized the 4pm -6pm hours of the day are still "interesting" (AKA~horrible) I thought it was something that would end when school ended. Apparently I was wrong.

My window's desperately need to be cleaned. I have committed not to clean them until summer is over because when the kids are outside the hose always seems to come on and somehow it magically gets pointed at the windows. Thus I have come to the conclusion that cleaning them would be a total waste of time this summer.

Putting makeup on in the summer is almost pointless also. Especially if I'm not leaving the house or not going anywhere in within a 5 mile radius. Who am I kidding...summer or not if I'm not leaving the house the make up doesn't go on...

My belly is getting bigger and bigger. It dawned on me today that I am now in my third and final trimester. Holy cow time flies.

We have our first tomato starting to grow. For two people who have tan thumbs...not green ones this is a pretty big deal. I could eat a tomato every day. I can't wait to see what they taste like. We also have green beans growing in the garden and bell peppers. I hope they can survive the heat.

The boys think that since it's summer they don't have a set bedtime. I'm teaching them otherwise.

My cell phone is officially gone. Lost. Some where between Chuck E Cheese and my van it mysteriously disappeared. It really bites too because texting is the best way to stay in contact with the young women. What makes it even worse is the fact that I'm up for a big discount or possibly free phone in August. I think I might go cell-phone-less until then.

Crate says a new word every day. So far this week the boys have taught him to say pee, poo, and dumb. Lovely, isn't it?

I'm too tired to proof read...I hope the mistakes are minimal.

2011-05-23T21:27:00.000-07:00

My goal today was to get the entire house cleaned with the help of the boys. I had to remind myself to be thankful for a home this size. It's good for our family, we have room to grow and it suits us well. I did think however that owning a smaller home would mean much less to clean and much less space for clutter to collect. I'm grateful my home isn't any bigger and I honestly hope to never have a bigger home unless I can afford to have someone come in and clean it on a regular basis.

My goal pretty much got accomplished. Just a few loads of laundry left and my bathroom is not cleaned. Other than that the boys room is clean and vacuumed, playroom is cleaned and vacuumed, kitchen is cleaned, bathrooms are cleaned, garbage is taken out, Crates room cleaned and vacuumed also and 85% of the laundry is washed, dried, folded and put away. Boss was a much bigger help than Buster today...not the usual but I really appreciated his efforts in wanting to help his mother and not complain about it. I'm not sure what the deal was with Buster, I guess it was one of those days for him.

Next on the list is the yard. Again...I couldn't imagine a bigger yard. We have a hard enough time keeping up with our postage stamp we call a back yard. One day I would love a plot of land, and a landscaper that comes along with it. :)

It was a busy week this past week. Swim lessons, cousins, no school the last few days. I have enjoyed only having one one-year-old during the day and so has my back. I'm hoping this summer doesn't pass to quickly. I like being a mother all day every day to my three boys. I really don't like sending them off to a teacher. However it is amazing how much they can learn in one day. I've already lost track of the date, That means summer is here.

So much lies ahead of us. I'm excited to start some new journey's this summer. I hope my family is excited also and I hope one of those summer journey's is organizing several drawers in the kitchen and possibly cleaning out the garage...that would be a major journey for us to embark on.

I have to say one more thing. Having the spirit with you makes all the difference. It's like being able to be happy and hopeful all the time. I am trying hard to always have the spirit abide in our home. It's been a tender few days and for that I am humble and grateful.

2011-05-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

Today I braved another zoo trip...this time with only three children...two one year olds and a five year old. It actually went well, Crate had a little meltdown after being put back in the stroller but other than that things were descent. It worked out good because Crate's screams and squeals sound just like some of the birds that live at the zoo. Some of the screams went unnoticed by the passer-by's. My sister went along with her two kids so the company was great and the weather was totally bearable,
included was a nice breeze which helped us to stay there for three hours. Not a bad Monday. And did I mention how great this Monday is? It's the LAST Monday of the school year! Hooray!

Now I need to shower...it's not quite 5pm yet! I'm on a role!

Giving Up.

2011-05-14T20:53:00.001-07:00

I've decided I am giving up on my floors. I will keep them crumb free but when it comes to mopping, well...I just can't do it. My back can't take it and it's so time consuming and only looks nice for about 20 minutes. Maybe three hours if I'm really lucky. I wonder if I only had tile in the kitchen if I would be on top of it more but considering each time I mop it's the entire house minus the bedrooms, it's just A LOT of work. Pops doesn't have a problem doing it, it's finding the time to do it that makes it hard. I've seriously contemplated hiring on of the YW to come mop my floor each week. The thought is VERY tempting.

I've decided I won't be bothered by the spots on the floor and as long as I don't hear "crunch, crunch" every time I walk, I'll be happy. The floor will get mopped eventually but will no longer be a priority.

Ahhh, I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders. And if you come to my home...don't judge. Like I said I'll keep it crumb free, just not spot free.

2011-05-09T22:21:00.000-07:00

Mothers Day was yesterday. It was a good day. I'll admit, since I have little kids I've never expected much...I am not Pops' mother so I don't expect much from him. I always think Mothers day will be more about me when my boys are older and understand the purpose of the day.

Well...I guess my kids are older now. And Pops did really well helping them make the day special. I received breakfast in bed, I slept in til 7:30am...which for me is really late. The boys were very obedient when getting ready for church. Pops had no meetings so he was home all morning and helped out big time. We actually drove to church together and sat together the whole time. When we got home Crate fell asleep so Pops laid him down and I mentioned to the boys I was going to lay down for a few minutes. Pops laid down with me and next thing I knew three hours had gone by! I was shocked. The older boys never came in once to ask for anything and Crate slept the entire time also. The boys were very kind to entertain themselves and get food themselves in that three hour block, not to mention no messes were left for me to clean up. I felt like a new woman when I woke up. I think Pops enjoyed this Mothers day just as much as I did considering the amount of sleep he received also.

By the time we woke up it was dinner and everyone was on their own. I was thankful for leftovers which made cooking and cleaning easy...Pops made some cookies for his home teaching families and of course made a few extra for us. We finished the night off just hanging out together. It was a pleasant day I wouldn't mind repeating it anytime in the near future.

Almost six months

2011-05-06T15:42:00.001-07:00

As I was showering today...before 3pm I might add (Not too much before this time but whose counting)it dawned on me that I'm almost six months pregnant. That's half a year! My body is defiantly changing and the little boy is a mover. I feel completely grateful for that. It gives me a sense of peace that he's growing healthy and strong. I noticed for the first time last night that I'm really starting to swell by the end of the day. I was a little irritated at first. Swelling hurts. It's unattractive and plain old not fun. Then I got more irritated at myself for being irritated. I reminded myself that this is all temporary and will go away. This is most likely the last time my body will swell because of a new life forming inside of me. I reminded myself to be grateful to be swelling for this reason. Other than swelling this pregnancy has been great. I'm thankful to still be able to devote 90-120 minutes six days a week to exercising, something I have asked the Lord to let me continue until the angle makes his debut. I sleep through the night, never waking for bathroom breaks. I have energy during the day to complete the tasks that are necessary, the list could go on and on.

It's true. The more I focus on the good aspects of life the more willing and able I am to handle the trials/learning experiences that pop up along the way.

Silly Boss...

2011-05-06T15:09:00.001-07:00

For the second time this week Boss asked for an iphone for his birthday. I find this funny because I wasn't even sure he knew what an iphone was so when I asked him what a iphone is his response was, "it's like your itouch but it has a camera and can call people." I then said; "well Mom and Pops don't even have iphones." To which he responded "you can borrow mine if you need to make a call." I hope he forgets about his request before his next birthday rolls around...and to think he's only 5!

Before I forget...

2011-05-04T21:18:00.000-07:00

I have to write these things down. Good memories and stories are the best in the later years.

Crate started nursery. I'm thankful for that, the YW are thankful for that and I'm sure the women in Relief Society who would take him for me are thankful for that too. I'll admit sometimes Sunday's were a little harry with YW's stuff, three boys-one not in nursery and no husband to help with child number three during YW time. Thank goodness for the kind ladies who found him so cute and would take him for me that last dreaded hour of church. We made it to the 18 month mark!! Hallelujah!

As of today Pops and the two older boys have felt their little brother kicking inside of me. I started feeling him flutter around the last 8 weeks but it's finally strong enough that you can feel him from the outside.

Oh, and Crate loves nursery...I forgot to mention that. No problem being in there for the two hours. Makes life great!

Two weeks of school left. I can't wait...which means I have two weeks of babysitting left before summer break! I think we're all ready for some lazy summer days.

Boss' math skills are beyond amazing, especially considering he has yet to step into a school class room. I'll be interested to see if he enjoys math as he gets older. He's got basic adding and subtracting down and now knows a large chunk of his times tables. I have Buster's homework to thank for that. Boss likes hanging out with Buster during homework time.

Last Saturday Pops was gone for about 12 hours so I decided it would be a perfect day to fly kites with the boys. I learned a valuable lesson. Dollar store kites are crap and not even worth the dollar spent. I envisioned a wonderful afternoon at the park with the boys flying kites...well when the kites broke on the first flight the afternoon turned out to be "not so wonderful."

Crate has discovered his love for bubbles. Dollar store bubbles are well worth it for an 18 month old.

OB says he's 150% confident it's a boy. No questions asked. I like that level of confidence, it makes planning easier.

I've had a tough time coming up with dinner ideas lately. Tonight dinner was a salad. Needless to say I had four unhappy males around here, I think one even said "where's the rest of dinner?" My reply was "this is it, be grateful." I can either blame it on pregnancy or spring fever. Maybe a combo of the two. Not good.

Did I mention before I LOVE summer?

This house needs to be brightened up...maybe some new pillows on the couch or something. Actually, I think I say that every spring.

I have lots of idea's floating around in my head of things I would like to do to the house. Ultimately, more than anything at this point of my life I'm more than thankful to have a roof over my head and if the inside is not changed for 10 years so be it. It's not the end of the world.

I braved the zoo with four kids and no spouse last week and amazingly it all went well. We're all alive.

Just found this cute site if you're interested... http://www.thehouseofsmiths.com/

I think if it were up to me I'd take a month long family vacation in the summer. How fun would that be!

Our chairs continue to remain on top of the kitchen table, thanks to Crate. I'm confident one day they'll come down and no one will be climbing on them risking a broken arm. For now it always looks like I'm in the middle of cleaning my floors. I guarantee that does not happen nearly as often as it should. "Crunch, Crunch" is a normal sound around here when walking on the kitchen floors. I can't tell you the last time I walked in the kitchen barefoot. No joke, I always have something on to protect my feet from the crumbs.

OK, enough said. Time for bed.

When I say he's a busy boy..I mean it.

2011-04-27T22:09:00.000-07:00

Lately I have found Crate in various places. Some of these places include (and I'm not kidding on any of these)...

the top of the refrigerator.

the top of the printer which is large and sits on top of the office desk. (I just found him there for the second time today and he had a cup full of water in his hands...not a good combo.)

on top of the kitchen chairs which are sitting on top of the counter-height table.

standing on top of his highchair.

and literally sitting on top of the cinder-block six foot fence in the backyard.

I've had enough experience with 18 month old kids that I know they can be into things. Typically things like cupboards, or toilets, or stairs, or make-up or maybe they don't sit still for an extended period of time. But seriously...the back fence? When I say I can't turn my head for 20 seconds I mean I can NOT turn my head, unless he's asleep...which amazingly he has not learned to climb out of his crib yet...go figure. I'm seeing it as a total and complete blessing from the Lord.

I can defiantly tell this kid watches his older brothers and never wants to be a step behind them.

If only I had time to grab my camera each time I found him in odd places...but I figure his life is more important than a quick picture.

I am

2011-04-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

Recently I read a post on one of my friends blogs, I think it was this one or maybe it was her personal one, but either way it was a great post and it got me thinking. So here I go with my thoughts...

On her blog she had written that she once read the two most powerful words in our language were the words "I AM" I found it interesting because just that day I was doing my children's yoga program with the boys and one of the songs we listened to at the end of the session uses the words "I am..." several times throughout the song. The song goes something like this...

I am bountiful,
I am blissful,
I am beautiful in every way...

the tune is great and very catchy it goes on with the ending part being "I am fearless today." It's a great song that I like to play for my boys hoping they'll have the tune playing over and over again in their head. I think it can even be more powerful for a female.

Anyhow as I was thinking I thought, "if our thoughts are powerful enough to create our surroundings, than what am I thinking?" So I thought of a lot of positive and negative "I AM" statements. And I noticed I start a lot of sentences with the words "I am..."

For all two of my blog readers out there :) let's explore those "I am" statements.

First off, do we use these statements without evening thinking of the impact they are having on our lives...statements like...
I am fat, I am ugly, I am tired, I am broke, I am horrible, I am an idiot, I am sick, I am poor, I am not going to ever be able to do "x", I am not ever going to be as good as "her", I am a horrible wife, I am a bad mother, I am depressed, I am a bad person, I'm so dumb, you get the point. At one point or time in my life I've either heard all these statements, even if the person says it jokingly or I've used some of these statements myself.

Now what if all those "I am" statements turned into these:
I am beautiful, I am full of energy, I am happy, I am loving my life, I am loving the opportunities I have to grow in my life, I am providing for my family, I am smart, I am kind, I am loved, I am a great mother, I am a wonderful wife, I am worthy, I am worthy or happiness, I am worthy a income, I am worthy of "X"...again, you get the point.

So the question I have for myself is; "How do my sentences end when they start with the words "I AM"?

I think our words can be more powerful than we might ever comprehend. I won't let my outcome be controlled by my words.

2011-04-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

My very old computer has been on the brink for the last several months. Pops tried a whole bunch of things to try and fix it but it still wasn't up to par so he took it in and thus I was left without a connection to the outside world. But alas it's back.

I'm considering having a private blog for the family but I can't decide if it should be for my eyes only or if close friends and family members should be invited to it. Any thoughts?

I think the boys and I have spring fever around here...that's not good.

I could use a vacation soon.

I'm now 21 weeks preggers, more than half way. The time is flying by.

My house needs a good spring cleaning.

I love, love, love the Internet. Thanks to it the YW Easter lesson is completed and ready to go. I think the girls will enjoy it and it's something different. I really have the best counselors who found the idea and spouse made it work with his technical skills.

My clothing supply is limited right now...not quite ready for maternity but the regular clothes are getting tighter.

Our kitchen table chairs have found a new spot which is now on top of the table...Crate has figured out how to climb on them and then climb on to the high table. Not good.

You know it's been a long day when I ask the 18th month old to pick up the knife off the floor and hand it to me so I can cut his banana. That really took place today and for all I know the knife could have been laying on the floor for multiple hours. Luckily it wasn't a steak knife, only a butter knife.

Speaking of kitchen floors lately all I hear from them is "crunch, crunch" every time I walk around. I swear they do not stay clean with two one year olds and the two older boys. It's a never ending battle.

The five o'clock hour comes early each day. So I must head to bed. I'm grateful though my body and been good to me and that I can still exercise each morning. It's the best therapy session ever. 90 minutes of uninterrupted freedom before reality kicks in for the day.

Good reminder.

2011-04-02T22:43:00.000-07:00

This past week we attended a funeral of some old friends from our Mesa days. They suddenly lost their little seven year old boy. I was thankful to be able to attend because it was a needed reminder how fragile and precious life is and how short time can be. I've made a renewed effort to document the days I have with these three (almost four) boys as much as I can. Also, to be a bit more kind and patient and grateful even for the messes because it means my children are still here with me and if that means cleaning up after them or loosing sleep for them I'll do it.

I'm not anywhere near being perfect and despite some really long days or really tough circumstances a positive attitude can make things more bearable. I firmly believe also that if I, as the mother, can be positive and find blessings amongst trials it will teach my boys to do the same. They can learn that happiness is a choice no matter what is going around you. I could say more but enough about that.

On another note: Our number one rule in the family used to be: "No yelling in the home." I have now made that the number two rule. Our new number one rule is: "No touching moms hair." They love to mess up my hair...but it's an official rule now and if broken they will see consequences. (It's great being the parent in this case. :))

Some days these pregnancy hormones take effect and make me very vocal about my opinion. Sometimes that's not so good. I've learned I can't talk about politics, marriages, schools, work or kids for another five months. I can only talk to Pops about such things. He listens...well, I think he's listening. I guess the jury is still out on that one. Now that I think about it, it's probably a good thing no one is listening.

Boss-man

2011-04-02T22:36:00.000-07:00

Boss got a hold of my camera the other day and amongst many other photos taken I found this one.

While were on the subject of Boss, the kid never ceases to crack me up or amaze me.

I found out a few weeks ago in his preschool class he told his teacher: "Miss Becky, your my hot mama!" Nice one Boss

Also, he was complaining he was bored while we were driving home from errands so to keep him occupied I told him to count backwards from 300...not thinking this would actually happen. To my amazement he started at 300 and made it all the way to 1 without one single mistake or any help from me. I was floored. This also taught me that this kids brain is always going and he must always be entertained. I think he'll defiantly keep me on my toes over the years.

Brotherly love

2011-04-02T22:29:00.000-07:00

Buster is a great big brother...these are pics I snapped of them while they were outside playing the other day.

Killer deal

2011-04-02T22:20:00.001-07:00

I was on the search for some church pants for Boss. The kid has worn the same pair every Sunday for about four months now and I found rips in the bottom of them this past Sunday so I decided I couldn't hold off any longer and I must find him a new pair.
SO I hit Kid-to-Kid and found a few good pairs at a great price. I also found this sweet coat...still not sure if it's for a boy or girl...I'm hoping it'll work on a boy, I just couldn't pass it up.

It's probably a little on the girly side but the color screams "sweet little boy inside."

I think with this separate hat I can pull it off for a boy

And the best part was this:

$2.99...you can't beat that.

It should fit this next little guy perfectly. And yes, it's been confirmed 100% it's a boy!

Blessed yard work.

2011-04-02T22:06:00.000-07:00

I cleaned up a good chuck of the back yard a few weeks ago but there was one area left untouched. You know, the area where no one ever sees. It's the side of the house where the A/C units are and honestly the only reason I go over there these days is to water the garden. However over the last several months the weeds either needed to be pulled or just become part of the landscape. I guess we could have called them our wild flowers, they just weren't very pretty. Pops was gone by 5:30am, the two oldest boys were at the cousins and Crate was still sleeping so I decided to take my sorry rear out there and clean up. Not only were the weeds taller than my hip bone (not kidding) there was a dead bush that had grown about 9 feet tall and needed some major trimming. I knew I needed to work fast because I had a YW breakfast to attend so with a time limit I got to work. I really wish I had a before and after picture. I'll admit after the breakfast I came back and stood in the lawn admiring the fact I could now see the ground and the back fence. I told myself I was going to take me out for a pedicure today since I worked my tail off. The pedi didn't quite happen yet. Hopefully soon. Here is a pic of the pile of dead branches from the major bush that had taken over this particular corner of the house.

and this is what's left of the bush.

Not sure if I cut it correctly but at this point I don't care, I'm just glad it's done.

After today I told spouse it's time to find a career that doesn't require six day work weeks. Just kidding. I'm really, really thankful he has a career he enjoys, it just keeps him busy...which in this market is always a good thing.

2011-04-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

Things that have changed my life for the better lately...

a broom (I haven't owned one for 5 years. I only vacuumed the tile. I love having the simplicity of a broom)

painted toe nails. I did it myself a few weeks ago and it's just so much better than bare toes.

an itocuh. I love it.

Pandora. Again, I love it. I love I that I can have any type of music I want at any given time.

flour. I had the boys grind up an entire 5 gallon bucket of wheat the other day. I love having the flour ready to go at any time.

bagels and cream cheese. This is my new found love for breakfast, although I must limit this breakfast to only 1 or maybe 2 days a week.

kale and spinach. I love making morning smoothies with these two ingredients.

Really, it's the simple things in life that bring a smile to me and make life happier.

I really should have bought a broom a long time ago. How did I go this long without one?

2011-03-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

Oh my heck...I would like to sit down and document so much, the good the bad and the ugly (the boys' new favorite word. Which as of today is now a "vinegar" word). Each night I say to myself "tonight's the night to sit down and blog." Then 9 or 10pm hits and it's like I loose all control over my body and the sleep angels carry me to that fortress of slumber-land and I'm out like a light. Going to bed at 10 or 11pm and being up by 5:15am each morning mixed with pregnancy is not a good combo. I'm useless after 10pm and to think that used to once be my most productive hour...Those days heave been kissed goodbye for a while.

This baby is defiantly an active one. I can feel all the tiny little movements.

2011-03-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

Some days are great.

Some days I want to bang my head against the wall.

Some days I just want a clean kitchen floor. Is that too much to ask for?

I could use a chocolate chip cookie right about now.

2011-03-21T22:28:00.000-07:00

Today I let Buster stay home from school as long as he promised to help.

His chore list included staying outside with Boss, Crate and I and pulling weeds and trimming bushes out back then coming inside and along with Boss cleaning their bedroom and playroom really good.

I told them they could have video game time this afternoon if there was no complaining about the jobs that needed to be done. It worked out quite well, I can't say it was complaint free but not as bad as it usually is when I mention pulling weeds. We got about 2/3 of the backyard done and hopefully I'll be able to finish the rest tomorrow. Pops saw the bushes I trimmed...let's just say I didn't want to have to trim them anytime soon so I gave them all a really, really good cut. I'm not sure how happy he was about that but he knew he couldn't say anything since I was free labor...you get what you pay for, right?

I think Buster is ready to return back to his normal school schedule and Boss can't wait to head back to preschool tomorrow.

Let the good times roll.

Crates discoveries

2011-03-21T22:18:00.000-07:00

Crate has discovered...

toilets are the most fun thing in the house to play with.

how to open and close the washer and dryer...even when they are on. (darn front loading machines)

how to push the off button on both the washer and dryer.

if a bedroom or bathroom door is locked he can push large trucks into them and if he hits them just right they will pop open. (darn settling of the house)

the louder he screams the sooner he gets what he wants.

how to climb out of his high chair.

how to open the door into the garage.

how to tear pages out of books.

how to pick the vegetable plants out of the garden. (the ones that are not done growing)

how to say all our names and when he really wants us he knows how to yell them.

and how to tell us he's ready for bed. (He'll grab his blanket and start blowing kisses and as soon as I lay him down he blows one last kiss and rolls over to go to sleep. He's the easiest kid to put to bed 98% of the time he doesn't cry when we lay him down. I'm glad he's shown me the sleep schedule that works for him. It makes it easy.)

17 months...

2011-03-18T21:41:00.000-07:00

In case you've forgotten or are not sure what it's like to have a 17th month old I'll give you a sneak peak...

Tonight while I was preparing dinner, literally 5 feet away from this little guy, we were separated by the pantry wall and I heard a sound...once I heard it I knew I didn't want to see what it was until I absolutely had to. Once I did this is what I found:

Crate (17 months) had spilled an entire #10 can of potato pearls which I just opened the other day and used two cups out of it. He also reached up and spilled a bag of sugar. And this was about 15 minutes after he had just come out of the bath. He was sitting in the mess waving his hand back and forth on the floor seeing how far he could spread the pearls.

This experience made me very thankful for a good vacuum.

And to top it off Crate loves to "help" me vacuum lately so of course he wanted to "help" me again tonight. Oh the joy...

This was only the first half of what needed to be picked up.

The boys heard me tell Crate it's a good thing he is so cute or I would have beat him, they found that pretty darn funny. I was serious.

Looking on the bright side I now have a very clean pantry floor and the water storage bottles are nicely stacked.

Tomorrows duties: Buy a lock for the pantry door.

South Mtn hike

2011-03-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that we've lived 10 minutes for the largest mountain preserve in the U.S. for the last eight years and we hike there a small handful of times a year. We will start checking it out more often from now on.

Some pics of our hike this morning.

Crates got the best way up...

Pops helps Buster with his water while Boss and Cap head up the mountain without us

Time for a water break

And for proof that I actually participate on these types of activities...

I told the boys to start planning on a hiking adventure once a week after school, we'll try to go until it gets to hot!

Spring Break 2011

2011-03-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

What did this week hold for your local frat house you might ask? Let me give you the run down:

Monday: Piano lessons, bike ride,visiting teaching, made enough bread for the next 3 months and we all made cookies. Then we all helped clean up the ginormous mess.
Tuesday: Bike rides, visits to the park and two redbox movies for our "movie afternoon"
Wednesday: We met the cousins at the park for a picnic then headed over to their house to swim, burr. The boys swam like fish and Crate and I enjoyed sitting on the grass watching them. After many hours in the sun we ate dinner and headed home with one extra boy in tow.
Thursday: Laundry, multiple bike rides throughout the day, another visit to the park, I got to get out for about an hour and have lunch with a friend. The boys hadn't seen Pops literally since Monday so we waited for him after dinner and headed out on another bike ride before it got way too dark.
Friday: We all got up early and headed out to South Mountain for a family hike. It was a perfect morning and all four boys did great. Afterward we stopped by QT for drinks and came home were I had plans for us for the rest of the day. I thought Pops was taking the day off but as soon as we got home he needed to head to the office for the day so instead the boys and I just hung out here. It's amazing that one extra boy can bring so much entertainment for the three others. Between legos, bikes and a basketball hoop their day was pretty jam packed. As for me, I got a lot done myself. I switched all three boys winter clothes out for summer clothes, cleaned two of the bathrooms, washed, dried and folded every article of dirty clothing and towels, vacuumed the entire house, reorganized Crate's closet, reorganized my closet, dusted, and took care of the everyday chores like cooking, bathing children, cleaning up after children...those types of normal things. By late afternoon we were all ready to get out of the house so we headed out on our bikes (probably the best investment ever) to the local park where we found the sprinkles to be on. Well, it didn't take long for the boys to discover the fun they could have getting wet. Needless to say I brought home four boys sopping wet at dinner time...lovely. Showers for everyone, including myself and another load of laundry to be done.

I'm defiantly not ready for spring break to be over, I like not being on the school schedule and it's been nice to have only one 1 year old around the house instead of two one year olds eight hours a day. I've also enjoyed an early morning (but thanks to spring break not too early) walk pushing just the single stroller. I swear, brisk 6 mile walks each morning in the cool, perfect temp air is the best therapy session ever. It's like a personal awaking each day. I love, love, love spring weather in the morning and evening.

But alas, the wonderful week must come to a close and reality must set in once again. I've enjoyed having the boys home all day and they've enjoyed having their cousin here the last few days. They are sad to have to say goodbye to him tomorrow. Of course there are things I won't miss when school starts again, like all the eating they like to do throughout the day and the constant bike rides, I don't mind one or two bike rides a day but 8 or 10...I feel like I can't get anything done when we're out that much. I will also miss the entertainment provided to Crate from them all day long...he defiantly loves having them around.

Check this...

2011-03-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

Are you a mother, grandmother, aunt, sister or know of anyone with children? If so, check out this website: www.babyhalfoff.com ~it's awesome! I've purchased stuff myself from it at super steep discounts and have been more than satisfied each time! I would highly recommend it and if your in AZ you can pick up the stuff locally!

2011-03-10T09:20:00.000-08:00

I got a jury summons in the mail the other day...I don't know how I'm going to pull that one off with a 4yr old and two 1yr olds.

I have made homemade french bread three times in the last four days. I love that stuff.

My laundry is backed up.

I made a new homemade alfredo sauce, and I think it turned out amazing. It was a little work but totally worth it.

Buster brought home his grades yesterday, they went like this:
Art: 95% A
Language Arts: 91% A
Math: 96% A
Music: 100% A
PE:100% A
Reading: 96% A
Spelling: 96% A

I think he deserves some ice cream, maybe tonight. I told him if he keeps up the awesome grades he'll be able to get a scholarship and go to college for free. He was actually really motivated by that. I hope it happens.

It also says he was absent 13 times in the quarter...I know that's not possible.

I've enjoyed walking with the two babies each morning and then coming home and putting them down for a nap. They love the walks too. They have learned to say truck, car, bus, tree, and goat from all the times we see those things on our walk.

I love the weather like this.

I'm only sick a few days a week now instead of everyday. I'm happy for that. I've been trying to keep up on my double workouts three times a week still. I'm hoping it'll last for a while.

Beans are cooking in the crockpot. I'm not caring to much for the smell.

I'm learning about essential oils and holding a class next Thursday night at 7pm if you're interested. I'm not teaching it just hosting it...let me know and I'll get you the info. So far I've been really impressed with this alternative form of "medication" if you can call it that.

My to-do list is long and my computer is slow so it's time to sign off.

It's official...

2011-02-27T18:44:00.001-08:00

85% Chance of a boy...things are really looking that way but it was an early ultrasound.

So with four boys this must mean one of two things, either:

1. The Lord thinks I'm really good at raising boys

or

2. I haven't got it right yet and he's giving me a fourth chance.

Either way this means more wrestling time, more Lego's, more hats, more white shirts to iron, more light sabers, more sports, lots of savings needed for their mission, college savings needed...

It also means...when the father and sons weekend comes around I GET THE ENTIRE WEEKEND FREE!!! And it means out in public I'm still off the hook of taking the boys to the bathroom if Pops is around. No spending money on hair stuff or jewelery, no matching shoes needed for outfits, less drama (hopefully) and I can't wait to have four wonderful daughter-in-laws that I will learn to love no matter what...for they may be the closest thing I ever have to a daughter. And granddaughters, there might be a lot of spoiling going on when that time comes.

This new one came as a "planned surprise" I like to call it. We knew we weren't done but we had no idea this one would come so fast considering the other three took their own sweet time to enter from heaven. We're excited and are anxiously saving our dollars for another cash paid delivery...blessed insurance companies...don't get me started.

Four boys...I'm still trying to swallow that.

P.S. I know there are people that hate finding out about these things in a social setting like this but honestly I didn't know how else to advertise the big news! :)

2011-02-26T21:41:00.000-08:00

I just finished preparing my YW's lesson for tomorrow. The YW's manual always has really good lessons. It would make for a great study companion to the scriptures.

I think about blogging much more often than I actually do. Sometimes life is moving to fast and I don't want to forget any of the great moments or small miracles we experience day to day and other days there is stuff I want to forget. One more area in my life I need to find balance in.

I feel like I'm a pretty darn patient mother...until bed time. I really need to work on that. I need to remember that I was once a kid to and didn't like when bed time came around. Maybe I should feel loved that they want to stay up to "spend just one more minute with you" as the boys say. Too often one more minute turns in to 5 or 10 or 30 more minutes. Alas, one day all to soon they won't be saying that anymore. I must cherish the moment.

I've read several blogs lately of people who have been in some major serious trials. Like this moms or this girls or his and once again I feel beyond grateful for the small trials I face. At times they might seem like mountains to steep to climb but when I count my blessings I realize they are little hills that I've been carried over by the hand of the Lord. I have my husband who loves me, I have my children, I have as much food a day that I could ask for, a roof over my head and we all have our health. We're not to shabby.

I hope my lesson goes well tomorrow. I'm also thankful I'm not a teenager these days. I'm nervous for my boys to grow up in this world. My young women really are great girls. It's a humbling experience sitting in the temple with them like we did this morning. Sometimes the calling gets a little busy and tiring but it's moment's like today that makes me grateful I'm in this position and can serve them.

I'm hoping for a Sunday nap tomorrow. I hope it's still raining too...napping while raining goes together like a bagel and cream cheese. That sounds good right about now.