Worth 1000 Words

Janurary so far

2012-01-26T12:10:00.000-08:00

I am not one for making resolutions!

But there is a "project" that others have been involved in for a few years now and I've decided to join in! I am talking about Project 52 which of course is taking a picture a week. There is the other Project 365 which is a picture a day and I didn't think I could do it without cheating and that wouldn't be fair! SO I've been good so far but it's only January!
I am also trying to learn some new things about my camera! I really need to practice those motion shots so I can get some shots of the girls during their basketball clinic!

I am also debating about signing them up for Zumba for Kids Dance Class on Thursdays. I think I can get all 3 girls in the class and I think they will have fun and it is a great source of exorcize!

Sydney has decided that she is the boss. Most of the time it is pretty cute. She loves bossing Parker around and he lets her. She says his name as kar kar and usually screams it at him a dozen times before she gets his attention.

School is officially half over tomorrow! I cannot believe how fast this year has gone!
Halle is enjoying 1st grade and talks mostly of her friends. She is learning to read and do math and does not care much for the homework but has a good outlook on school.
Payton doesn't say much about Kindergarten but loves learning. She enjoys learning to read and likes her teacher.
Sofia LOVES Preschool. We are not sure if we are sending her to Kindergarten this Fall or keeping her home one more year. We are fortunate to have found a place that she likes and teaches her in fun ways!

Pictures Update FINALLY!

2012-01-15T21:17:00.000-08:00

So Blogger is finally letting me add pictures!
So here are a TON of pictures.

The big sisters left their crayons on the table and
Sydney thought that was a great idea too!

Halle got new braids!

Payton wanted glasses like Sofia, these are clear
lenses and she loved them!

They had a great time laughing!

Sydney said Moo at the goats

Leaf fight!

Basketball Clinic!

Look Mom! This is my new trick!

Lots of helpers!

Sweet sisters!

My BFF Laura and my baby girl!

Christmastime

2011-12-20T12:32:00.000-08:00

Blogger does not like my pictures lately! GRRR!
I've come to post every day and they just won't load!
SO
Now that we are knee deep in the Holiday Season our commitments are winding down. We had a terrible experience with Sydney being unable to breathe and headed into the ER. She has croup which isn't uncommon to anyone but us, weird that 4 previous kids were healthy and babe #5 is more medically fragile? Well she is better now but those were a rough few nights!
We enjoyed Sofia's preschool program on Wednesday. Saturday we got to go on a DATE to the BIG city! We had a great time visiting while driving and getting all of the Christmas shopping buttoned up!
We had part of Brian's family over for a Christmas celebration too! WHEW!

The kiddos last day of school is today then we have 2 weeks of break. My oldest is SAD that school is over and cries that she just wants to learn! I've devised a plan of keeping their minds fresh for school, wish me luck carrying out my plan!

We are headed to Brian's work on Saturday for their Christmas celebration and then home to start our own.
That's it for now, I'll try and get my pictures up soon!

Sofia in her Christmas dress

Every party needs a Grinch

Friday Photo Bliss

2011-12-12T10:14:00.000-08:00

I tried to get these up on Friday but for some reason they wouldn't load, so here they are!
This first picture warms my heart! These boards are very popular in our house and to see Sofia showing Sydney how to use this one is just precious!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-28T12:01:00.000-08:00

We were lucky to have both sides of our family at our house for Thanksgiving!
Brian cooked a fabulous meal and we had a great time visiting!

Family Pictures 2011

2011-11-27T22:50:00.000-08:00

These are our family pictures of 2011 just my favorites :D

Friday Photo Bliss

2011-11-18T21:57:00.000-08:00

Inspired by The CoffeeShop Blog, I am posting one (in my case more) image every Friday, taken that week, that really makes me happy. If you end up doing the same I would love to see your photo linked in my comments!

This is Halle on school picture day!
She was a great sport smiling and opening her eyes wide enough for me to see :D
I really love this picture!

What I'm doing...

2011-11-14T00:25:00.000-08:00

OK...
I had this HUGE longish post telling you what I've been up too. Knowing that Blogger saves periodically I was confidant that I needed to reboot and my post was saved...it wasn't.
*sigh*
So what have I been up too?
I am getting back into digital scrapbooking after about a year off. My creative juice holder got a puncture and I was out of gas for a long time, but I am so excited to feel that creative spark again!

Along with making pages I have enrolled in a few digital scrapbooking type classes that I am SUPER excited about! The first is a Family History Album class that I have been collecting pictures from family members like crazy! I am excited to get digital copies of those photos so they are preserved!
This is the class:
http://www.jessicasprague.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.pbv.tabs.tpl&product_id=713&category_id=86&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=403

It is the first in a series and I can't wait to see what's next!

I am also enrolled in a hybrid class that starts tomorrow. It combines digital and paper crafting. I am most excited about learning to make Subway Art! If you don't know what it is check it out here:
http://proclamationpictures.blogspot.com/p/subway-art-family-rules.html

We are hosting Thanksgiving this year. My husband loves to entertain and cook for large numbers! I am excited for him and having family under our roof makes us happy!
BUT
That means that we are working like mad to get the house in order! We spent the weekend unpacking the last of the boxes, hooray! Now it's on to the rest of the little things!

Below are some pages I've made in the past month!

A Book I am MOST grateful for...

2011-11-09T00:10:00.000-08:00

If you've noticed lately on the right side of this page there is a new category!
I am wearing my bookworm proud!
Books have always been important to me as far back as I can remember. It helped that I had an older sister that loved to read and I wanted to be just like her when I grew up!
We were challenged to blog about a book we are most grateful for. I had to think about it for quite awhile actually! I love so many books and they have changed my thinking, opinions and moods in ways that if you were to catch my shadow it would probably be a reflection of a pile of books :D
But after digging REALLY deep I decided on the book that showed me life is not perfect. Life is hard especially if you are different and sometimes you've got to be patient, smart and winning isn't everything.

Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy. I got it as a gift in my early teens and the spine no longer has a title, it has been read so many times that it opens by itself :D

I could go on about my top 5 books-this one is not currently on that list but it was the first book I loved.

So I've recently started reading blogs about writers and their journeys and also getting more information from the books they love and found a few new loves myself!

http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/

Friday Photo Bliss

2011-11-04T18:29:00.000-07:00

Halloween

2011-11-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

The kids had a great Halloween. The older 3 girls planned their outfits. I wasn't a fan of spending the money on cheap costumes that were not durable or really that weather appropriate but the girls really had a great time. I think they liked the wigs most of all :D I got Sydney's costume a few years ago at Gymboree on clearance and Parker's came from Costco!

What I'm up too and PICTURES

2011-10-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

I have been such a bad blogger lately!
I do have an EXCUSE though!
I am sure I have complained to you about my hectic schedule! I'll recap just in case:
I get the 2 oldest off at 8:30 then Sofia to school at noon. I get home and leave to get Payton at 2:30, then home to wait for Halle. 3:30 I load everyone up and head to get Sofia from Preschool...return home to make dinner and get homework done before bed was turning into terrible meals and a war!So that gave me the morning to get all of my housework done and quality time in with Parker and Sydney.
I was so behind and overwhelmed that I honestly some days did nothing because I was just numb!

My wonderful husband suggested that because we were unhappy with the schedule among other things that we take Sofia out of preschool. There is another school that is 3 days a week that would allow me to get Sofia at the same time as Payton so I only have to go out once, what a relief! We just started this schedule but I am already SOOOOOO happy!

I also just returned from a Spraguefest-a digital scrapbook conference in Las Vegas! I was gone for 4 days and it was AMAZING! I met and made many friends, came home refreshed, and learned some new tricks and tips!

I've started a 2nd blog too! Not a personal but a blog for parents and their parenting dilemmas!
http://parentingdelightsanddilemmas.blogspot.com/
Check it out!

Now what you've been waiting for!
Pictures!

The oasis at our hotel.

Beautiful ceiling at a neighboring hotel.

Another beautiful display inside a hotel.

Chocolate!

Sydney and I needed to get outside after a few rainy days!
We had a fun time!

Family time at the park!

Happy Birthday Parker!

2011-09-29T22:54:00.000-07:00

Can you believe this big guy just turned 3?

He is all boy even for having 4 sisters!

Obsessed with tractors, farming, balls, and wrestling!

He has brought such joy into our lives.

We are so blessed!

Happy Birthday Big Guy!

I LOVE Instagram!

2011-09-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

I've wanted an iPhone forever. I LOVE my iPod and using it as my phone and iPod would just be the BEES KNEES!

Alas, until last month the area where I lived did not provide service for an iPhone so it just wasn't
a possibility.
I love apps. I am an app junkie!

Instagram is an App. It is a camera program that gives you
fun options to edit and publish your photos directly to email, Facebook, wherever!
So...
My iPod was lost for a week!
Halle found it and I rewarded her with a quarter!
So I spent most of yesterday and today taking pictures!
They are not as good quality as my real camera, but more fun
for sure! Especially when you can spin the screen without holding out
your arm or turning it backwards!

So here are a few pictures of FUN!

Friday Photo Bliss

2011-09-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

Technically not 1 picture but the click click click of holding down the button :D

I really cannot describe how warm and overflowing my heart feels here.

Parker's new song, Sydney's Birthday, 1st day of school, and Friday Photo Bliss

2011-09-09T21:43:00.000-07:00

Have you heard the song Who Let the Dogs Out?
Parker has always loved that song and has recently started making up his own lyrics...

Parker sings:
Who let Parker out, drill, drill, drill, drill, drill
Who let Dad out, work, work, work, work, work
Who let Sydney out, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi
Who let Mom out, go to your room, go to your room, go to your room right now
Who let Halle out, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah
Who let Payton out, slam her door, slam her door, slam her door and mom says no
I don't recall what Sofia says at the moment, but it will come to me :)

Sydney turned 1! Where has the time gone? I cannot believe it has been a year! She has filled our hearts with so much love. She had a great party, loved the cake, and had fun playing with her presents. She was in a great mood!

Halle started 1st grade and Payton started K last week. They are loving school so far and we cannot wait to see what this year has in store for us!

My Friday Photo Bliss for the week: The Halloween magazine came in the mail and Brian was having a blast scaring the kiddos with some of the pictures :D

Sneak Peek!

2011-08-27T23:38:00.000-07:00

We have had a busy week! And next week Halle is getting her hair braided, the school is having a meet the teacher night on Tuesday and school starts Wednesday!

Last night we went out on a date and tried out our new sitter.
Today from dawn until dusk, maybe, well almost...
Brian worked me like a House Elf!
I love it when he is home on the weekends because his energy feeds mine and we get things done! This morning I finally got Sydney an appointment with my friend Sarah to get her 1 year pictures taken! If you are on Facebook you should check them out on my wall or Moments By Sara Jean. I will get the hard copies next week but the sneak peeks are on Facebook.
After that we got to work and got the basement in order!
Close your eyes at the top of the stairs and picture:

At the bottom of the stairs is a doorway. Go through the doorway and step down and you're facing 2 doors! Sofia and Payton's bedrooms!

So then back to the bottom of the stairs.
Straight ahead you can go right to Halle's room, straightish to the bathroom, or right to Sydney's room the family room, movie room, and 2 storeish rooms.

Below are pictures of the bathroom. It isn't finished yet but we aren't talking about that. This IS a sneak peek! Each girl will have their own sink, mirror, and light!

There you have it!
Also are more flower pictures, my best yet imho! and precious pictures of Sydney sleeping in my arms, she is getting so big! Time just flies!

This is Payton's room. All of the girls will have the same room type just a different color. Payton chose pink.

Updates about unpacking?

2011-08-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

Life in the new house has seriously consisted of unpacking, more unpacking, and unpacking some more!
Since nothing is really new I thought you'd like to know:

*Even I get lost in the house. I want to head upstairs and find myself facing the down stairs.
*There are only 2 rooms that are completely finished-the Master Bedroom and what I have dubbed the Craft Room. (the craft room was a former sewing room and has a built in desk that I use as a changing table:)
*My husband is home on time more now than he was when his commute was 3 minutes. (this makes me the happiest of all!)
*The kids and I have been out less as an entire family now that we are in the "city" because Dad can just pick up whatever we need on his way home from work. BUT we are going out just Mom and the kiddos more than we ever did living in Winchester.
Here are some pictures of the yard, and some summer fun of swimming and then plum picking in the backyard!

A new chapter! Ready or not, here I come!

2011-07-26T23:54:00.000-07:00

I honestly cannot believe that we are moving. I said 2 years ago that I would never move again lol.
We just added on and remodeled our entire house and now we are leaving it behind and I am scared!

8 years ago we moved to this podunk town to take over a very small business caring for others.
My husband is truly amazing. He took that business, seeing its potential and went from 8 adults to 48 soon to be 64! He loves his job and is thriving in his profession! I am SO proud of him! It mat seem silly but living here for 8 years has been for my husband, it was his time to shine and I knew that! Look at him now. He is in a great place in life, now it is my turn!

When we welcomed Halle into our lives my life was really the only one that changed drastically.
It is really a point I can see clearly as the beginning of our family.
I can also tell you that it was also the time when MY life changed.
Being a stay at home parent really involves sacrifice for me. Living in a small town with our little ones all in a row has been tough. It also helped in my transition to hermit. I am only seen when I want to be seen. I don't leave the house unless necessary in some cases it was 3 weeks between trips to town. Which spiraled to not taking care of myself like I should, from getting dressed to eating, life could be a long block of not seeing another adult but my husband for weeks. Gradually I let go or turned my back on those that were left in my little circle because I will admit I am ashamed of what I have become. I have such a hard time talking to people because I am so out of practice. I'm either too bold or too silly or too shy. I have anxiety in every social situation and sometimes apologize the next day for my behavior.

I am so very disappointed in myself physically. I loved being outdoors, camping, swimming, fishing, walking, but now I just cringe at the thought and am unable to muster up the ability to be that DOer again. Being away from others was lonely and I am a great comfort eater! I don't feel as if I fit in this skin. I would rather not be seen because of the horror I feel I've become.

It is because of these facts that I am scared and SO excited for our next chapter! I really pushed for the move because I need a wake up call. I need socialization and to be forced to find myself again. Most of all I need to be the mother to my children I expect myself to be!
To have them tell me they don't want to be fat like me, mean like me and all of those normal but hurtful things kids this age say, I also want to be the mom that they can remember having fun with and that means being active, not allowing laundry and housework to swallow me up...Not letting the only person I talk to each day be the one to set my mood, which sadly it does make a difference. But bottom line I feel like I have nothing to give right now, I feel as if I disappeared tomorrow no one would miss me and life would not be affected...

I want to feel that I matter and that means throwing myself into the city life where I have to be seen every day, I am not dependent on my partner to set my mood or be my only interaction, I can control how I feel and what I do with my life. I want to do something worthwhile, now is the time for me to find out what that is!

So here I go!
Watch out world, I'm coming!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HALLE!

2011-07-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

Halle represents a lot of firsts for Brian and I.
Being our first child she experienced all of our firsts and even some trial and errors, new places and experiences.

Looking back at when I first held her, her first steps, words, and first day of school I can't help but wonder where the time went. She turned 6 and is almost as tall as I am :) she has a mouth full of gaps where teeth should be and is so helpful around the house we hardly have to ask or tell her to do anything!

We are so blessed to have her in our lives!

Being her mom isn't always rainbows and sunshine :) but we manage :)
This girl is the oldest and therefore the most responsible. She loves being the boss and giving orders to everyone including me. She loves to be the first, to tell others what to do and watch them perform her instructions. She is helpful to the point of overdoing it, and throws fits that make the house shake.
Brian laughs and tells me it's all my fault because I taught her to be dramatic when I taught her to express herself, which I did.

But here she is, a beautiful 6 year old with a heart of gold.

We are so proud to be her parents!

Happy 6th birthday Halle!

Our first family photo

The cat wanted in on the action :)

Priceless

Not always sunshine and rainbows

Happy Birthday!

My(Carter) family reunion

2011-07-17T08:51:00.000-07:00

I am blessed to have most of my family including grand and great grandparents alive.

I love going home because home is truly where my heart is. My family does have it's moments :)

but they love me anyway lol.

We went for a visit over my birthday and what a great present it was to be with people who know and love me! I got a chance to take my twin sister Monica out for dinner the day after our birthday. We had a ton of fun catching up and visiting!

We visited my Papa and Grandma and had a great visit with them. We also talked cousin Cody into playing baseball and giving rides on the 4wheeler! It was SO fun!
We attended a family reunion for my moms moms side better known as my grandma :)
There was a ton of kids to play with and people to visit that I hadn't seen in 15 years or more!

It was a great visit and I am always sad to head north!

My grandma, mom, and Sydney

Cousin Cody giving rides! Thanks Cody!

Cousin Cody teaching Payton how to stand and swing!
You're great Cody!

Don't you love the look on her face :)

Parker patiently waiting his turn

She finally connected!

Lil miss sassy

My mom and niece Janessa(Cass)

My sister Christy and Parker playing basketball.

Halle and my niece Hanna(Monica)
Hanna is 7 and Halle a week away from her 6th birthday :)

My grandma Noleen and all of her grandkids minus my brother Cass.

Halle cheering the waterslide competition.

Sofia's Eye Surgery

2011-07-17T08:21:00.000-07:00

Sofia went in for eye surgery the end of June.
She always has a cheery outlook so she was just as cheery at the hospital.

Everything went great. She had a hard time waking up because opening her eyes hurt and she was not sure where she was.
By the end of the day she was up running around and 2 days later we celebrated the 4th of July.
We went back for a check up and the doctor gave us the thumbs up! She said her eyes are healing wonderfully!

We hope that when we go back in a few months we get more good news!

Here she is ready to go!

She was NOT a fan of the "pajamas"
She kept asking to take them off.

Here she is waking up after surgery
She had a hard first hour

Here she is at her 2 week post checkup doing great!

"Camping" for the day in pictures

2011-07-04T00:04:00.000-07:00

Life has been crazy around here! I will do a REAL post soon but here is an update in pictures of our trip to *3 Meadows?* I think that's where we went for Brian's family reunion.

Uncle Ed and the kiddos made noodles and then got to eat them!
The kids had a GREAT time!

This is Sydney's face most days. If you smile at her with your eyes closed or how Brian smiles if you've seen his smile, she copies him and it is hilarious! You do it to her she does it back.

Megan and Parker watched a chipmunk take a cracker from Sydney and runaway and eat it under a picnic table. Parker wanted to revenge the cracker.

Aunt Linda actually carried him around for awhile. When she got tired she tried to put him down and he hung on for dear life, she had to pry him off.

He found that ball right when we got there and carried it around all day.

Halle had grapes in her cheeks so Payton thought she needed to make a funny face too.

Sofia counted as Halle "raced" towards us. Sofia declared her the winner.

Friday Photo Bliss {a day late}

2011-06-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

Technically not A picture but person :)
Our vacation made me miss this spitfire terribly!
I can tell you if my hair were darker you'd see all the gray she's given me! But in the next breath she makes me laugh more than anyone else :) She has such a sweet spirit and personality, it's no wonder the other kids fight over who gets to play with her each day!

Surprise! Last day of vacation!

2011-06-12T15:18:00.000-07:00

Our last day was probably a mix of greatest and most tedious.
We booked our vacation through Costco so we received a few perks besides a discount. My favorite perk would be lunch at Ariels Grotto in California Adventure "Lunch with the Princesses". The tickets would have cost us $40 each and our bill came out to $130! Thanks for that GREAT lunch Costco!
We were seated in THE BEST seats in the house!
We met Ariel first then seated at the table next to the kitchen which was the first stop for each princess Belle, Cinderella, and Snow White!
When we sit down we have a basket of bread and 3 topping choices, a 3 tiered appetizer including salad tossed in mango vinaigrette, a plate of real mozzarella cheese, different types of tomatoes, red pepper bracelets, and salami, then on the top tier 2 kinds of jello, string cheese, carrots and probably more I can't remember :)
Then we ate our delicious lunch, Brian had Tri-Tip, I had chicken and the girls had spaghetti with meatballs. Dessert...a plate with brownie bites, lava cake, chocolate chip cookie strips, raspberry cheesecake tarts, and a white chocolate conch shell! WOWEE!

We ended the day by going on 2 more rides. The girls wanted to ride on The Haunted Mansion, they claim that was their favorite but I think it is just the most memorable :) and we rode Nemo again.
Then we bought some souvenirs, went back to the hotel and packed for our 4:30 departure!

We are home now and SO happy to be but our trip was GREAT fun!

Surprise! A Vacation Day 3

2011-06-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

California Adventure is nothing like I remember it.
Almost the entire park was under construction so there were rides missing, shut down, or not open yet. I was somewhat disappointed but on the other hand things went FAST! The park was practically empty (compared to Disneyland) and we did everything we wanted to do! (My camera battery died the day before so these are poor cell phone pictures, SORRY)
We got there as soon as the park opened but MOM forgot her glasses of all things and Dad had to turn around and get them. I talked to the kids on the phone that morning and walked out without my glasses, I must have been too excited about the phone call!
We walked in to California Adventure and went to a show-Disney Junior LIVE on Stage. It was FUN! We love Disney Junior! We sat on the floor and watched an energetic gal interact with the characters that were puppets! From there we went to ride the Monsters Inc ride and then saw the Monsters Inc live on the street show. Brian and Payton went on Tower of Terror elevator with no line, Payton thought it was okay :)
We went to It's Tough to be a Bug 3D show featuring A Bugs Life characters where acid(water) is spit on you from a termite, a stink bug sprays you with gas, you get stung in the back by a bee and bugs crawl under your feet. The girls were squealing and screeching along with everyone else.
The Ariel Under the Sea ride opened on Monday and we were told that it was a 5 hour wait for that ride then! We were in line for about 30 minutes.
We went on the Grizzly River Run rafting trip twice it was SO fun! The last time we were here it had just opened and the line was 3 hours long but we road it twice in an hour!
We ended the day by watching World of Color! a show on the water, we had front rail seats and it was AWESOME! I will put a You Tube Video up that I did not shot but wanted to share!

Disney Junior LIVE on Stage

Monster's Inc ride

Monsters Inc skit

Army Men from Toy Story

Ariel's new ride

Leaving A Bugs Life

World of Color Video

http://youtu.be/0wBlVHKWFFM

Tomorrow is lunch with the Disney Princesses and our final day!

SURPRISE! A Vacation! Day 2

2011-06-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

We had a GREAT day at Disneyland! The girls were up bright and early and ready to hit the park!
We got to the bus stop and headed to the park at 9. Right as we entered the park we met Cruella DeVille! We also saw Mary Poppins and Pluto!
We went to Tomorrowland and road rides first. Their favorite in that area was Buzz Lightyear. Then we spotted Pixie Hollow and waited 45 minutes to meet Fawn and Tinkerbell! That was our longest wait of the day, can you believe it? Hands down the favorite ride of the day for both girls was Finding Nemo. We took a submarine underwater!. We went to It's a Small World and the girls thought it was COOL! They were both brave enough to ride the Matter Horn rollercoaster but didn't like it and said they'd never do it again :) We found Princess Fantasy Fare and waited in line for another 45 minutes to meet Belle, Jasmine, and Mulan! That was one of the girls highlights!
We caught the Mickey's Soundsational Parade twice, I got 4 minutes of it recorded before my battery died.
We took the girls on Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones which were a bit on the scary side but that knocked out Disneyland completely for all of the rides I wanted them to experience.

Sorry again for the wonky pictures. My digital camera battery is now dead so on to phone pictures ::)

Halle getting ready to go to Disney!

Cruella!

NEMO

It's a Small World

This is what Payton does while waiting in line!

Here is the video of the few minutes I shot of the Soundsational Parade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVZKS23YRjQ

California Adventure is next.

SURPRISE! A Vacation! Day 1

2011-06-12T14:28:00.000-07:00

Brian and I have been secretly planning a family vacation with Halle and Payton for the past few months.

They had no idea when they woke up on Wednesday morning that we would have secretly packed the van and were headed to the airport. They thought we were heading to swimming lessons for some reason.

We boarded the airplane and took off! Both girls did GREAT on the plane!

We landed in Salt Lake to change planes and with a little layover enjoyed airport food!

(Delicious and okay to eat when you are on vacation :)

We reboarded a plane headed to Los Angeles! The girls thought in California there would definitely be swimming in California.

The girls discovered where we were headed when we were picked up by the Disneyland Express!

We were not headed to Disneyland Hotel or Disney that day and they were a bit disappointed but we got checked in to our hotel and went out in search of food! We found a Cheesecake Factory not too far away and enjoyed a delicious dinner and ended the night with our favorite show while gearing up for a FUN day at Disneyland!
Here are a few pictures from our adventure Day 1~they are straight out of my wonky digital camera so please excuse the mess :) I'll edit the great ones later :)

Girls on the airplane

Doesn't this crack you up? Everyone else thought it was funny too!

Brian's dinner, BBQ Pork Sandwich, Fries, and Coleslaw.
He is a GREAT "shareer" and we all enjoyed some of it.

Friday Photo Bliss

2011-06-10T23:13:00.000-07:00

I know that you are tired of seeing this pictures but it IS one of my favorite :)

Sydney's new trick.

What's so funny?

An attempt at a family picture

Our new van tattoo

Fun with iPod Pictures

2011-06-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

Brian thinks the pictures are too grainy but when I need a camera within reach, it works :)

I got a new app for the iPod called Camera Fun Pro(it was the free app of the day)
and the girls just about wet their pants they were laughing SO hard.
Here are a few pictures of fun-ness!

My little magazine reader

One Payton is enough thank you!

Halle was worried she really looked like this LOL

Doesn't she look like a Basset Hound in this photo?

I wish I had this in normal photo mode, it's precious!

Happy Birthday Sofia!

2011-05-30T22:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Sofia! I cannot believe that Sofia turned 4 today! She is so big and has such a personality! We call her Sassy because she is just that! She has an expression and attitude for everything! She is our family clown and she doesn't even do it on purpose!
Here she is in pictures!

A few hours old

Look whose 1!

Turning 2!

I'm 3!

Power to the 4!

2010-2011

Here is a link to an album of pictures I took of Sofia taking pictures of things she finds important :)
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150623943275402.685583.580355401&l=2b6208fa88

Videos

2011-05-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

We've had a hectic couple of weeks and I've captured it mostly on tape!

The girls had their final Ballet Recital and Halle graduated Kindergarten.
I am happy to say school is out for the SUMMER!

June is full of fun activities from a secret trip, to swimming lessons, Sofia's eye surgery and a family reunion! July has birthday's and swimming! Ending the summer with a BANG!

(Why all the secrets? I'll fill you in before the letter self destructs *BWAHAHA*)
So before the beans can be spilled I hope you enjoy these videos!

Ballet Recital-10 minutes long

Kindergarten Graduation-20 minutes long

Sydney and Dad singing Wheels on the Bus(and Payton singing Life is a Fairytale)-2 minutes long

The secrets to keeping your sanity. Lesson 2- Bathroom Wednesday's

2011-05-18T01:05:00.000-07:00

Cleaning the bathroom is no one's favorite pastime. Imagine my horror when I learned I would be in charge of...4 BATHROOMS!

My husband, bless him, cleans things better than anyone I know! He can take something I've worked on for an hour and have it sparkling in 10 minutes, NO JOKE!
But he doesn't do bathrooms.
I am okay with this because he does so much already.

So I set aside Wednesdays or hump day as Bathroom Wednesdays.
It helps that 3 of the bathrooms are upstairs.

Picture it...

It's Wednesday.
Payton's at school, Parker's outside, Sofia's watching a show or coloring, Sydney is napping, and Halle is doing the dishes, cleaning off the table, or sweeping, she loves to "help" so I let her as much as she wants.

I put my earbuds in my ears and my iPod in my pocket after turning up my House Cleaning Mix(no joke I'll share the songs later)
Down to the basement for a pile of clean cloths.
Into the pantry where I hang the household cleaner my husband swears by on my belt loop, tuck the toilet cleaner, Comet, and Windex under my arm, grab the broom and dust pan, and on my way out a few paper towels.

I start at the top back and work my way forward and down.
Turning on the HOT water I clear off the counter tops and spray them down with the household cleaner. Next is the mirror. Then I wipe the counter, light switches, door jams and sink with my cloth. Next I tackle the toilet. After that it's to the tubs and shower. To finish the job I change all of the towels, I sweep and mop.

I do this in every bathroom, the entire process takes about 45 minutes.
If they need me they know where to find me. Parker usually tries to "help" and brings along his own broom and dust pan. I have assigned him the job of gathering up all of the pieces of toilet paper and broken rubber bands from the floor and putting them in the toilet. He love this because he gets to flush when he's done :)

Bathrooms are done for another week unless...and I should also mention that everything is still in order every night and on Friday's I make sure the TP is stocked.

Ta-Da!
Another day down!

***
House Cleaning Mix
*Man I Feel Like a Woman by Shania
*Another Night by Real McCoy
*Let's Give Them Something to Talk About by Bonnie Raitt
*Hey Soul Sister by Train
*Gotta Be Somebody by Bucky Covington
*The Way You Make Me Feel by Michael Jackson
*This by Darius Rucker
*I Do by Colbie Caillat
*Happily Ever After by He Is We

*Stuck Like Glue by Sugarland
*Break My Heart by Sara Ramirez
*Just One Kiss by Nick Carter
*Powerful Stuff by Sean Hayes
*Everyday by Sausalito Foxtrot
*Unglamorus by Lori McKenna
*I Want You to Want Me by Letters to Cleo
*Forget You by Cee Lo Green
*Breakeven by Xenia from The Voice
*Just The Way You Are by Tje Austin from The Voice

Friday Photo Bliss a day late

2011-05-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

( I really meant to have this up on Friday but forgot!)

Going, Going...

2011-05-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

It feels like we've been on the go for the past few weeks! The kids only have a few days of school left and we can't wait! On Saturday Halle and Payton attended a T-Ball Clinic and had a BLAST! We left the house at 7:30 that morning and didn't get home until 6 that night! We ran around all day and had good moods with no naps! Today the kids had a great time helping Brian make things special! They made me my favorite lunch of Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup and everyone helped! Then they made me cards and gave me a beautiful gift! The girls especially Halle went above and beyond being helpful and I got a great nap!
This week Sofia goes to Spokane, Halle has her spring musical at school, and Ballet class. Then we are looking forward to their dance recital for Ballet and Kindergarten graduation! Sofia turns 4 at the end of the month and then June is here with family vacation, swimming lessons, and SUMMER!
The kids are getting so big!

Payton has been doing and saying the funniest things: Mom it's not the end of the world. I want to be a princess doctor and a hair maker when I grow up. (and by her picture you can tell we watch Despicable Me way to much :)

Halle is showing that she is almost 6 with her eye rolls and now she winks whenever she finishes telling you something :) she can't wait for Kindergarten to be over because she wants to be 6! And when someone asked her how old she is she is not 5, she is 5.5 and she will correct you every time!
Sofia...Sofia...she is our clown! She is so sassy that my sides hurt! I combed out her hair tonight and kept tilting her head this way and that and she told me she was going to tell Dad I was choking her neck :) She loves being involved with her sisters, wherever they are she wants to be.
Parker is incredibly 2.5. He is stubborn to the point of anger and still cuddly and silly. He cannot get enough of outside! He asks first and then will spend all afternoon out there chasing balls, playing in the rocks, riding bikes, and jumping on the trampoline.
Sydney is crawling all over and putting everything our carpet hides into her mouth. She loves to laugh and is one of the happiest besides Parker of course.

Guess what we did on Easter?

2011-04-25T22:46:00.000-07:00

A Fashion Show!
We went to Grandma Sue and Grandpa Mitch's for Easter.

Brian and his brother and sister and all of our kids and their kids equals...

10 kids
5, 5, 5, 5, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 7 months
What is a family to do?
The girls of course taking their imagination into consideration dawned their wigs, purses, and costumes and strutted their stuff!
Sofia initiated it by saying, "I want to be an old lady. I want to wear the old lady dress and have the old lady face." She came out *see her picture below* then Halle came out more than a dozen times and Payton...she looked like a different person! Parker looked all grown up in his hair :)

The weekend was a busy one! We went to the Craigmont Easter Egg Hunt and then to the park and Costco. The next day we went to town and had a great Easter dinner and family visit.
Sydney missed out on the show but when I pulled out the camera she came at me, she wanted to get her hands on it :)

We came home and put up a trampoline and spent today jumping...I am SORE! Who knew I could still flip like that?

Friday Photo Bliss Bliss Bliss Bliss

2011-04-21T22:59:00.000-07:00

Inspired by The CoffeeShop Blog, I am posting one(in my case more) image every Friday, taken that week, that really makes me happy. If you end up doing the same I would love to see your photo linked in my comments!

Halle got to go see Hop last weekend. She loved it.
She saw this display at Walmart and pulled out her pose :)

We are so blessed to have crafty friends that
shower us in hair bows(she is wearing one by Laura!) Payton adores them!
This shirt reads, "Sunshine" I had to get it when I saw
it because she walks around singing, "sunshine, sunshine, SUNshine"

Huston we have TEETH!
I had to take this picture laying on the couch
and she was on her back looking up at me.
I finally got her to smile :) She has 2.5 on the bottom!

Check out this cool guy! He was watching a show on the iPod and
loving his had and pajamas so much singing
Who Let the Dogs Out :)
(the hat has ears :)

Friday Photo Bliss

2011-04-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

I know, I know.

Only one picture a week :)

I just couldn't resist :)

We visited Grandma and Grandpa in Lewiston and the weather was SO beautiful that
I pulled out the camera and started shooting.
I think for 5 kids it is a pretty good shot!

I loved these 2 shots too.
The sun had just come around the corner and hit
Sydney just right :) and then Parker...
Grandma was trying to get him to sit closer to Sofia so he
thought he would be funny and scoot away instead :)

When I put Sofia down for a nap I usually take Sydney with me and we
have a little fun. Sydney all drools and smiles and Sofia without her glasses
wanted to show us some "fashion" before she went to sleep.

Friday Photo Bliss etc.

2011-04-09T00:15:00.000-07:00

I didn't forget the past few weeks I honestly didn't have anything to post :) I was too busy posting the pictures earlier in those weeks that I just relied on those :)

I tool a few pictures tonight that have already planted in my heart.
Sydney is getting SO big! Tonight I pulled out the camera because she was sitting up on her own (after I put her there she didn't fall down :) the three older girls were still up and when the camera came out they were fighting over Sydney and who would sit with her and how they would pose :) I thought those pictures would make it here but then I decided to take the camera with me for our "nightly routine", I am not sure why I've never thought of this before.
Those who know me know that I am a stickler for routine. Sydney's routine (as much as a baby can be scheduled) for bedtime is a 2 foods, a bottle, diaper change, pajamas, then to bed, given a binky, covered with a blanket which she rubs on her face for a minute, and then turns her head and falls asleep.

I admit that about a year ago I stopped scrapbooking because I lost my gumption. I am slowly trying to find it again by opening random pictures, templates, and digital kits. So tonight I decided to scrap my nightly routine to capture those precious moments. I love Ellie Lash and knew she would have a kit that would work perfectly! So I opened my Ellie folder and found one (Sweet Things)! Thanks Ellie for being my inspiration!

It's been awhile :) update with pictures

2011-04-04T23:50:00.000-07:00

I don't really have an excuse for being away for so long...

I will celebrate that Spring Break is over tomorrow when the girls go back to school. Remember that we only go to school 2 days a week so our last day of school was March 24, so we go back tomorrow April 5, a much longer break than most! The kids are itching to get back to their friends and the little ones are eager to have their Mama back for a little one on one time while the bigger girls are in school.

We had a fun Spring Break. We took the girls to Spokane to Build A Bear and Chuckie Cheese for their "break" and then I got my "break" when I took advantage of Kristen while she was on Spring Break and had a fun trip to Spokane alone for some Mom time.

We have been battling different illness over the past few months. Colds mostly with the kids, coughs, fevers, puking, etc. It seems like I just get done cleaning up after one illness when I'm up in the middle of the night again cleaning up AGAIN. I've felt more pressure or stress these past few months than I've ever felt as a mom of 5. But with Brian being sick twice with a terrible infection and me with a sinus infection along with all of the sick kiddos, we just haven't been able to get on top of things it seems. HOWEVER things are looking up now. Brian and I are both on the mend 3 of the 5 are almost or fully recovered and the other 2 are just 2/7 the odds are in my favor! WA HOO!

It has snowed on and off the past week, one day snow the next rain, etc. Parker is SO ready to go outside that sometimes I find him the backyard without shoes or a coat knee deep in the mud with a shovel and a grin on his face.

Sydney is getting so big! She is just now getting up on her knees and rocking. She is also teething AND drooling, and fevers but always with a smile.

Parker is ever the boy. He loves dirt, trucks, and dinosaurs. He is VERY helpful with cleaning up, cooking, and Sydney.

Sofia is trying to learn how to be a big girl. Sadly the entire family has coddled her, easy to do with her sweet/sassy behavior :) She knows that she will soon be 4 and going to Preschool and is so eager to be a big girl that she is more willing to do those things that previously she wanted others to do for her :)
Payton...what can I say? She is very helpful with the little kids. She is willing to do anything if it has to do with helping with the kiddos. She is creative and enjoys singing and lacing cards.
Halle the ever big sister is enjoying making up her own songs, with meaning even! She is learning more and I love watching her discover and figure out words and other things for herself.

Here are a few pictures from the past few weeks.

Randomness and pictures

2011-03-21T23:15:00.000-07:00

It's been a few weeks. Let me just take a deep breath! We've survived, at times I didn't think we would but here I am!

Brian and I celebrate our 9th Anniversary tomorrow! I can't believe how fast time has flown by.
We got away a few weeks ago for a night to celebrate so tomorrow will be just a normal day, maybe ending with his favorite dinner.
I don't have much else to say except WELCOME SPRING! I am hopeful to be snow free within a few weeks!
We have family coming for a day this week, Spring Break is next week and then it's April! Oh April how I love thee!

So here are a few pictures.
Sydney is getting so big, she will be 7 months in a week. This was her 2nd trip to the park. Can you see in her eyes who put that smile on her face :) her daddy :)

Sofia was being "fashion" today before she went to an appointment. Glad I got this before picture because the after was not very pretty with a girl not having a nap and being spoiled all day by her dad :)
Payton! Her hair is finally long enough or barely long enough :) she has 8 ponytails :) She can't wait for school for tomorrow to show her friends :)

Friday Photo Bliss and catch up

2011-03-12T00:22:00.000-08:00

We had the opportunity to have a night away from home to celebrate our 9th Anniversary which is at the end of the month. It was nice, just the two of us! I should have known things wouldn't be so easy during the week with all of the spoiling I experienced over the weekend :)

Brian ended up very sick with an intestinal infection. They wanted to do surgery, then not. They want to admit him for IV meds, but he may be able to avoid it. Not to mention how much pain he is in. For now he is just taking a fistful of pills and taking things half day by half day.

We are spending more time in time out this week. I was even told to shut up once.

With things feeling like they are in the toilet we decided to go to town and get the kiddos out for a park day.

Before we got out the door the girls say, "I've got an idea, let's take a picture!"
I said, "ok, let's make a silly face!"
So below is our silly faces! Halle is giving me the "lips" she loves that face. Payton was smiling because of Sofia's face. Sofia has this new thing where when I ask her to smile she pulls her top lip up as high as she can. Sydney was not a happy camper. She didn't want to take a picture so Parker was trying to comfort her, he is such a great big brother.

This picture just makes me smile.

The secrets to keeping your sanity. Lesson 1- Laundry

2011-03-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

Being a SAHM or stay at home mom is not easy. Making the job harder is living in a remote area without the ability to experience "public" or talk with someone other than the kids 5 or 6 days in a row.
To combat the overwhelming sensation to scream :) I have come up with a schedule of sorts so I do not spend my days cleaning and being overwhelmed.

When we remolded our house I knew that I needed a schedule.

First things first. There are things that need to be done every day and I have a time schedule for some of those jobs like trash, dishes, sweeping, cleaning off the tables. I find it a great sense of accomplishment to cross jobs off after I've done them!

Today's post is about Laundry!

Laundry for 7! I found myself waste deep in laundry.

Included in everyone's Laundry Day is bedding and clothes.

My laundry system includes drawer assignments. I find it helps Dad know how to dress the kids in the chance I am gone and it also allows them to dress themselves without a fight.
Top drawer are tops to be worn to school or town, mostly out in public.
Second drawer are tops to be worn at home only.
Third drawer are outfits, cotton pants, and skirts.
Fourth drawer Jeans
Bottom drawer pajamas.

Monday's are Mom and Dad Laundry.
I am not sure about anyone else but we don't dry the adults clothes, they are hung on a drying rack. So it is a bit more challenging for me. So on Monday's I wash no less than 4 loads of laundry but only have to fold 3 because the shirts are hung to dry.

Tuesday's are Halle and Payton's Laundry Day. I do not wash their clothes together. Another trick I learned. I spent more time sorting sizes, especially since throwing hand me downs into the mix and not remembering who is now wearing what. So I wash Halles clothes first, all except Jeans, I have a family Jean wash because they ruin other clothes.
When I fold I fold per drawer so I know what goes where.

Thursday's are Parker, Sofia, and Sydney. Unfortunately they don't get out of their pajamas some days so there is usually not a ton of laundry to do on those days.
I also put away the clothes on the drying rack this day.

Friday's are towels and rags day.

So I have 3 laundry free days!

Any questions?

Friday Photo Bliss a day late

2011-02-26T19:10:00.000-08:00

Inspired by The CoffeeShop Blog, I am posting one image every Friday, taken that week, that really makes me happy. If you end up doing the same I would love to see your photo linked in my comments!

The price of "freedom"

2011-02-25T21:55:00.000-08:00

I joke that when I get a day to go to town by myself I am being granted my "freedom". Sometimes I have to give my wonderful husband nudges, and other times a whack on the head with a skillet letting him know I am desperate for some Mom time. Then there are days like today when out of the blue I get cut loose and of course don't say no to a babysitter and a little retail therapy along with meals I don't have to cook! Tonight made me question the price of "freedom". I knew the roads were bad. The high today was a HOT 22 degrees in town so at home maybe 15 or less! But I went anyway. I had lunch with my husband, did some shopping and ran some errands. I did go to a movie that started at 5 but wondered if that was a good idea seeing how I wouldn't get home until late. Yes, selfish me went to the movie anyway.
I talked to Brian and let him know I was leaving town, then I let him know when a cop passed me with it's lights on and he told me to drive safe.
I met that cop along with 5 other cops, 4 ambulances, and a fire truck about half way home. I was in the front of the line but couldn't see much. I was told, "the patients are being loaded up and you can be on your way soon."
After about 15 minutes we were let through one lane at a time. I saw a silver car on the left side of the road, it's front end smashed in. On the right side there was a white SUV tipping precariously over the edge of the road down towards the river, it's front end smashed up too. I continued on at 25 miles per hour and looked down at my temperature gauge and noticed it was 4 degrees. The road was a sheet of snow pack ice and I was vibrating so hard I couldn't hear the radio turned all the way up. I couldn't believe it when people started passing one another, didn't that sight shake them? Didn't they learn? I "stood" my ground and told each one that passed that if I saw them off the road ahead of me I was not going to stop, it would be their own fault. (I would have stopped but we won't tell them that) I made it home and the gauge in the car read -1 degree. I was so relieved to be home, safe and sound and told Brian that we may need to rethink our weekly trip to town tomorrow, I am not sure I want to risk it. He told me he was glad I hadn't left for home 5 minutes earlier, and that we'll see about town tomorrow...
Sure makes me question the price!

Scaredy Cat

2011-02-22T20:31:00.000-08:00

We have a house full of scaredy cats. Well ok it's split 5/2.
Brian and Halle are not afraid of anything so they like to taunt those of us that are. Payton is deathly afraid of spiders, strangers, the dark, and Dad's mask. Me, I don't care for the dark much. Parker is afraid of almost everything. Sofia is afraid because Payton is. Sydney is just too little to know better.

Brian has this mask

This is Parker 5 minutes before Brian put on the mask

Here are the girls trying to pry open the pantry door to see

who is knocking from the inside.

Here is Parker's first view of the man in the mask

Here is Payton's

Poor little guy was still shaken after the

mask was put away.

Geneology

2011-02-19T01:54:00.000-08:00

I spend too many nights awake with nothing to do :)
I've been trying to find out more about my dad's side of the family. My relatives, like most, are full of "stories" with no validity and are most of the time TALL tales :) so I am going to enlighten you on my journey so far!
But before I start let me tell you that I am a nerd :)
I love this stuff! I get so excited and it really just lights me up!

My dad has 2 middle names and that was said to be the "key" to the family history. My parents divorced when I was young and unfortunately my grandpa passed away before any of this sparked my interest and so I was stuck searching manually. It started with finding obituaries which held spouse and childrens names and birth dates and places lived. From there it was ordering birth and death certificates to obtain other vital parent information. I was at this point working at a college library with a microfilm reader and a librarian that ordered any newspaper I thought relevant! I then went online. Ancestry.com was too expensive for me back then when dial up was cool :) unless I went to the Family History Center at the LDS church where you could pay .01 a minute to search. I spent hours there! I contacted people through email asking questions and got this response, "It is so great to hear from you. We knew that (my ancestor) moved out west but never heard from him again. It is wonderful to hear from you." She was a professor at a college in the midwest and sent me all kinds of information and verified or rejected what I had found so far!
The trail went cold when I reached my 3rd great grandfather. I had all kinds of information on my 3rd great grandmother's side which is where I found the little information I had. It wasn't until recently I picked up the trail again. I found a contact that made me realize another I was following a "story" which I had taken for fact.

One frustrating thing is that names change.
From immigration changing the name completely, the person going by a nickname or middle name or initials.
I wanted to know how I could prove this person was my long lost relative. I contacted the family responisble for the name and they enlightened me and pointed me to some census records which showed this same relative had 3 different aliases on 3 different records, first it was full foreign name, then a nickname, then initials. But all had the same spouse and children's names etc.

So I took off. I made it 9 generations back when I turned on the TV tonight.
I was in the middle of multitasking :) reading an OLD document about my Bowman line when the TV was interfering. I read the name then heard it on the TV!
Who Do You Think You Are on CBS was featuring Tim McGraw tonight. He discovered his 8th great grand father is my 9th great grandfather! So the last 30 minutes was about my roots! AMAZING! I learned so much from listening to what the professional researchers dug up for this music icon but knew it was meant for me :)

I learned that George Washington stayed the night when he was 16 at my 9th great grandfather's home.
I learned that my ancestor was one of the most prominant men in the settling and pioneers.
I learned that he was hoodwinked by a book that promised a free trip and brought over to America and forced into indentured servitude for a period of time.

Hodgepodge

2011-02-17T21:47:00.000-08:00

I am trying to get Parker away from his sister's tutu's and into somehting more masculine.

He loves this "cooker" costume!

Payton is such a great big sister! She put Parker on one sled and Sofia
on the other. She made it off of the cement and part way across the yard before she fell.
She got back up and pulled them a bit farther!

Purple Princess

I just had to share this picture. Parker makes her laugh.

Happy Birthday Payton!

2011-02-13T01:02:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that this little princess is 5!
She has blessed our lives in so many ways.

Here she is just a day old.
My heart was wrapped around her tiny fingers from the beginning.

1st birthday!
She was SO stubborn!
She didn't walk until she was 13 months old
but crawled early!

See that sparkle? Here she is on her 2nd birthday.

She had already figured out how to get out of her crib.
She LOVED to dance.
But her most favorite thing was her big sister!

Here she is on her 3rd birthday!
She developed her sense of humor around this time.

She loved making people laugh and took it as a

personal challenge to get strangers to smile.

Here is our action hero on her 4th birthday!
She is the most active child I've ever met!

Happy 5th birthday sweet girl!
She is so helpful!
She is wonderfully creative!
Her passion right now is singing!

Friday Photo Bliss

2011-02-11T18:31:00.000-08:00

Inspired by The CoffeeShop Blog, I am posting one image every Friday, taken that week, that really makes me happy. If you end up doing the same I would love to see your photo linked in my comments!

It is NO secret that we love the movie Despicable Me.
This is our Edith hat.
Edith is the rambunctious and spirited one.

She walks in puddles, makes mud pies, and defies authority.

Whoever is wearing this hat channels that spirit,
which is why
this

hat

spends

it's

days

TIME OUT!

Parenting realities and truths

2011-02-07T12:56:00.000-08:00

People say I make it look easy. I even tell others that it is. But it always hasn't been this way and I am not perfect. Being a SAHM (stay at home mom) has always been my dream. I really never saw myself as being anything else. I did NOT imagine that I would have 5 kids that are 5 and younger! So I'm going to give you an explanation of why things are great in some areas, where the naughty areas are, and how I cope with it. I apologize in advance if I come off as anything but me.

First things first. I do not compare myself to anyone or other family. I just don't. I might if we interacted with others more, but I honestly don't care who has what or is doing where unless it is good for them then good for them! I do wish that we had others that didn't live so far away and we could all get along with to play with but we discovered when the kids were little that we either have too many kids or our family dynamic just doesn't fit with others in our area that we've met. It also doesn't help that I have become a bit hermitish and somewhat overprotective since becoming a mom. I honestly have so much going on trying to keep my own life straight that I don't have time to worry about anyone else :) I read this quote awhile back, "Thank you God for letting me know my grass is green enough" isn't that beautiful?

Secondly, I have help. I am not a REAL SAHM like one of my BFF's whose husband goes away for days and weeks at a time. I am lucky enough to have a husband that works right up the street, makes his own schedule, and if I need him to talk on the phone, come home for some reason, or stay home from work because I am sick, he can do that!
We also established early on that I may be able to be here with the kiddos day in and out but sometimes I just need a break. He is wonderful at almost every week coming home early or on Saturday sending me out alone for time off. People laugh at me because I enjoy seeing movies alone, I do! To unwind my favorite place to be is by myself. We discovered (not on a smooth road) that parenting takes 2! We are a team and need to do all that we can together. I find that it is great to have him to bounce ideas off of, or to have him tell me to take a break when he sees that I am over tuned. So we try to eat dinner every week night together and on the weekends 2/3. We have also set aside after dinner until bed time as "family time". So every night we wrestle, watch a show, play, read, or a little bit of it all. It really gives the kids time with the both of us and they have told me it is their favorite time of day.
For this I have a mantra, "Water cannot be drawn from an empty well" I read that quote awhile back and now have it waiting to be put up on my wall!

Third, I am a terrible housekeeper. I admit that I have a mother that loved her house clean but I just never got the hang of it :) So I made myself a schedule. When we decided to add on to our house instead of move I knew I had to get on top of the cleaning. I admit since bringing Sydney home I have had a hard time sticking to it, but Brian has always been good about helping out until the babies sleep through the night, and let's face it, he is a MUCH better cleaner! But he knows my faults, he knows I try, and he likes to help, so it's a win win. It does get to me sometimes. I do feel like a failure and sometimes do wonder about my abilities in our marriage, but he didn't marry me for my housekeeping skills :) he knew about those way before he proposed :) But for the most part I stay on top but do not overwork myself. It is honestly not worth having a sleepless night or being frazzled at the end of the day over something that can be done tomorrow. Let's face it, I have 5! kids! My house is not going to be hospital clean. By the time I get something picked up someone has already got it out again! So to avoid having a heart attack over housework I take a break during nap time. I joke that in order to be a part of this family everyone has to nap at the same time :) but I do follow through with that! It's not hard to sleep train your little ones to nap at the same time once they are old enough. For those that tell me their 3 year old won't take a nap I tell you that is why they are not in this family, it's a requirement. Right now it is 12:30 and everyone has been sleeping for 45 minutes! ALL 5 KIDS! I am so amazed at what an hour of peace can do for me in the middle of the day! I also love music and audio books so for me I just turn on my playlist called House and rock out with the kids while singing to Man I Feel Like a Woman, or Walking on Sunshine just to name a few :) or an audio book in my ears while folding laundry, gives me fuzz in my brain and my hands just do the work :)
For this my quote is, "I am a homemaker not a housekeeper" do you see the difference in these two?

Fourth, I find that my idea of parenting and how I actually do it are on 2 different planets. I can rattle off ideas for the way my Early Childhood background taught me, but when it comes to doing I draw a blank and sometimes even do the exact opposite. This is my downfall. I would love to be THAT Mom. But this is where you have to say, "I am only 1 person" I keep my house fairly clean, I get what needs to be done, I cook all of the meals, and I spend time with the kids. That is a TALL order for 1 person in a day. Not myself but others in the family love The Duggars. Brian told me that she praises EACH of her children 16 times a day. I wondered if I did a dozen times for 4 of them, some days maybe less (you know those days) so from then on I am trying to be more conscious of that. And it is things like being conscious/aware that keep me progressing. I am in no way perfect but I give it my all every day and I think that is more than I should expect from myself, but we set goals for places we want to reach, right? This is my goal every day, to find inside me the things I think are best and try to bring them to the surface. I am my own work in progress!

So when I wake up every day these are the goals I have:
Get today's work done-see schedule
Make at least 1 meal from scratch ie-nothing out of a box
Catch up on things not done the day before if any :)
Read to the kiddos at least 15 minutes
Hope to shower

Not hard right? Well I set my goals low for the last few months with not getting a ton of sleep etc.:) but now that we are almost exclusively sleeping through the night (knock on wood) I am hoping to get things back to normal and reevaluate myself! UGH, just in time for Spring Cleaning ;)

So those are my parenting realities and truths. YIKES!

Friday Photo Bliss and catch up

2011-02-04T23:43:00.000-08:00

I haven't been too inspired to post so along with my photo I will post a little update :)

Inspired by The CoffeeShop Blog, I am posting one image every Friday, taken that week, that really makes me happy. If you end up doing the same I would love to see your photo linked in my comments!

(Brian doesn't appreciate the spiky hair, but I think it is adorable :)
Here is Sydney at 5 months! I can't believe how fast time is going by! She is such a ham! She loves to laugh, mostly at Parker's voice, whatever comes out of his mouth she giggles at. Halle has also started to get her to giggle by talking in her funny voice with those missing teeth she sounds silly even to me :)
Sofia has started taking it as her responsibility to keep Sydney's face clean. When I feed her baby food I watch for Sofia, she can always be found coming down the stairs with the bathroom stool in one hand and a baby wipe in the other :) Payton is ever the mother hen. She always asks me what Sydney needs when she cries. She is always willing to help me with whatever is Sydney related :)

Right now Payton is super excited for her 5th birthday. She asked for a pink cowboy girl hat :)
Halle is excited for the Valentine's Day party they are having at school. I feel kind of bad because I picked out her Valentines this year. I wanted to get a box that was gender neutral and a good candy, but I think she feels left out, I may let her pick out a different box this weekend.
Parker is definitely 2! He has turned from sweet to sour almost overnight! He went to saying, "yes" to "do it urelf mam". He is great at picking up his toys but behavior a 2 year old, hitting especially! He won't be 2 forever :) RIGHT?
Sofia is getting so big, it seems like the transition from 3 to 4 is little girl to big girl. She gets so into pretend play and thinks she is ALWAYS a princess even without the dress :)

Friday Photo Bliss

2011-01-28T22:58:00.000-08:00

Inspired by The CoffeeShop Blog, I am posting one image every Friday, taken that week, that really makes me happy. If you end up doing the same I would love to see your photo linked in my comments!

I couldn't decide so I chose 2!
Parker and I went outside while Halle was at school and the other 3 were taking a nap.
He got a new Fedora hat and I loved it!
We played basketball outside and had a blast in the warm weather!

The culprit has been apprehended!

2011-01-26T20:31:00.000-08:00

Awhile back we found this in the pantry...

Our first thought of who it could be was....

Payton!

She is always stacking and sorting items, lining them up and making sure things stay in order.
These cups are used for odds and ends and not for drinking so I didn't think anything of it and stacked them back up and placed them back on the shelf.

I guess I should have known that Payton wasn't the whodunnit when I saw the stool a few weeks later. Payton doesn't use stools, she climbs on the shelves :) if she can't reach but she can reach that shelf.
So tonight while I was baking my traditional "welcome home" cookies for Brian (he's been gone for a few days and we like to have warm cookies waiting for him when he returns :) this is what I found the first time I turned around.

GOTCHA!

(Both pairs of her glasses were broken and Dad wasn't home to fix them)
But isn't this face adorable?

2010 Year in review DVD

2011-01-25T08:14:00.000-08:00

Every year I make a slide show using ProShow Gold and then burn it to a DVD. This year I gave it to the family and figured out how to upload it to You Tube.
Since I have been a BAD blogger this year so far I thought I'd share it with everyone.
I hope you enjoy it!

Friday Photo Bliss

2011-01-21T08:47:00.000-08:00

Inspired by The CoffeeShop Blog, I am posting one image every Friday, taken that week, that really makes me happy. If you end up doing the same I would love to see your photo linked in my comments!

If this is what sick looks like I would love to be this kind of sick!
Payton stayed home from school on Tuesday because on Saturday she woke up with a fever and by Tuesday all she had was a hacking cough.
So I pulled out my camera to take a picture of Sofia and Payton jumps right in front of my camera to steal the show.

Friday Photo Bliss

2011-01-14T01:45:00.000-08:00

Inspired by The CoffeeShop Blog, I am posting one image every Friday, taken that week, that really makes me happy. If you end up doing the same I would love to see your photo linked in my comments!

The past 4 months have flown by! I am getting a bit sad as the months go by, it seems time is speeding up.
Sydney loves smiling. She loves it when anyone talks to her.
AND I LOVE
that she is almost sleeping through the night! (knock on wood)

Friday Photo Bliss

2011-01-07T13:56:00.000-08:00

Inspired by The CoffeeShop Blog, I am posting one image every Friday, taken that week, that really makes me happy. If you end up doing the same I would love to see your photo linked in my comments!

This little girl has captured her brother's heart.
There isn't much he won't do when bribed with a chance to hold or help with Sydney.

Randomness of Goal Keeping

2011-01-03T00:56:00.000-08:00

I am not one to make New Years Resolutions. I can't keep a deal with myself to save my life!
I've tried bribing myself, threatening, and even begging and I still just can't commit to much more. Not that mom of 5, wifey, housekeeper, cook, etc. is too much for me (not yet anyway) but it's the deals with myself I have a hard time with because I can let myself down and no one but me gets hurt, I'd rather do that than disappoint someone outright or publicly :D

Of course I do have hopes and dreams. A dream of being OUT of maternity clothes. I laugh because how many years did I yearn to have the right to wear said clothes? 7 years of waiting, and let me tell you they are not all I thought they'd be. But as I said before, after waiting 7 years for something your mind has had all that time to come up with the way things should go and be and when the experience is different than you expected it is a bit awkward to swallow. Granted I am not trying too hard at the moment. I don't care to make myself crabby, you know like poking a bear with a stick, why refrain around the holidays, to become the bear to be poked, no thank you.
But now the holidays are past and it is time to get on track, let's see how far it takes us.

Another hope I have is getting my "library" cataloged.
YUCK
Who knew that from the start of my college career to now I'd accumulate a ROOM full of children's books? But it does my good when we go in and the kids pick out books to hear, they love having their own "library". (kind of like that scene from Beauty and the Beast when Beast gives Belle the library)
But this means manually going through each book and typing the ISBN number into a database that finds the information online and downloads it to a program I have. TIME CONSUMING! I don't really mind doing it but the thought of finding the time is what keeps the door closed downstairs. But it has to be done soon because I am tired of finding out I have double and sometimes triple of a book I may not even like :)

On a positive note I do have to pat myself on the back for achieving another goal.
In my day I find it hard to give praise to the kids for their help or good that they've done. I am so busy catching up on the don'ts, no's, corner, that by the time we sit down for dinner they may still be working off a consequence for something that happened at naptime. So I challenged myself to give more praise, I know I still have TONS of room for improvement, but so far it is working! I am finding less fights and more help than I know what to do with these days. I just hope that as the threat of Santa leaving coal passes they will still want to do good, well myself included :) wish me luck!

Sydney is finally sleeping 5 hours at a time and if I stay up to write anymore I have only myself to blame for lack of sleep :)

Christmas Random

2010-12-31T21:13:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. Brian and I spent Christmas Eve at work handing out gifts and then came home and watched the kids open theirs. Everyone played and had a lot of fun. We woke up Christmas morning and had more fun with the toys Santa brought. That afternoon we went to Grandma Sue and Grandpa Mitch's house for Hamburgers and family time.
Brian sprung a spur of the moment trip down to see my family on Sunday. I was SO grateful, what a great Christmas gift! We drove down on Sunday and got home on Tuesday. Wednesday Grandpa John and Grandma Cindy came over for a late Christmas. It was really Christmas all week long!
Now we are trying to get back into our routine for school to start on Tuesday, I can't wait :)

Here are a few pictures of our last week.

Friday Photo Bliss

2010-12-31T20:32:00.000-08:00

Inspired by The CoffeeShop Blog, I am posting one image every Friday, taken that week, that really makes me happy. If you end up doing the same I would love to see your photo linked in my comments!

This just makes me smile.
Grandpa John and Grandma Cindy came over for a late Christmas and Parker was playing peek a boo with the camera :)

Do you have a "3rd" child?

2010-12-23T19:17:00.000-08:00

I am the 3rd child. Granted I am a twin and my sister is just a few minutes older than me, but still was treated like "the baby" for the years separating my brother and I.
I can only guess this is what my mom was referring to when she said, "just wait until you have children of your own".
Being a stay at home mom of 5 isn't that challenging for me most of the time but there are bumps and sometimes potholes I find it hard to crawl out of once in :D

Right now my challenge is as you may have guessed my "3" child. I use it as an expletive most times these days.
Like me, she can do nothing for herself. For example: I asked her to put something in her room and she asks me to carry it for her. Then she gets to her door and tells me to open it. I tell her to open the door and she starts crying inconsolably until someone else opens the door. When I prevent them from helping her she puts her hand on the knob and hits it lightly, still crying.
She is also the kind of girl that when a crayon rolls just out of reach instead of raising herself up off her tush to grab it she screams in a Banshee sort of way not even saying anything about the said crayon but waiting for one of her sisters to see her dilemma and do it for her.
I am sorry to say that was also me.
I remember wanting to swing on the best swing in Preschool and instead of waiting my turn I relied on my twins protectiveness of me, she would bully whoever was on the swing off and then stand there keeping everyone away from me while I spent the entire time being spoiled by getting the entire time on the best swing.

Now I know better and am unsure of where to go from here. I realize the mistake but how to correct it and save my "3" child from helplessness.
My 2 year old will happily dress himself when asked but my 3 year old will stand there with her arms up in the air and wait for some else to dress her. Her sisters are all to willing to do whatever she wants because her scream would curdle milk, and it gets SO old.
This royal pain that expects her servants to do her bidding is finding herself in timeout more and more. I even was so desperate to consult our pediatrician about this behavior. He laughed and told me that as long as she is safe to just remove her from the environment until she can be rational. That may be years from now.

One of the funniest and most frustrating thing is her language right now.
We were trying to have her screened for Preschool and in order to do so she had to have some testing done. She meowed at the teacher for every answer, not once but twice!
Instead of using her words she just screams. Talk about frustrating!
But when she really wants to make her point she is clear as a bell! Using the right language and manners and everything, that little girl is sneaky!

*SIGH*

The rein of the 3rd child is far from over, let's just hope we all live to see the end!

Friday Photo Bliss

2010-12-17T22:41:00.000-08:00

Did this make you laugh?

Please ignore my dirty stairs :)
Sofia is always asking me to take her picture and I do, but the light or flash always reflects and makes it a bad picture. So today she asked and gave me this face.
She looks like she is up to no good, right?

Friday Photo Bliss a day late

2010-12-12T00:32:00.000-08:00

Ok I cheated.

I didn't post a picture last Friday so I am making up for it this week.

Yes a day late, but with 5 little ones I am sure you will cut me some slack!

Doesn't picture number 1 make you go OOOOHHHH!
And picture 2 speaks for itself, right?

Family Photos

2010-12-06T01:12:00.000-08:00

Brian has been after me for months to have our family photos taken. Our last family photo was 5 years ago when Halle was 6 months old, YIKES!

I wish some of this pregnancy fat could have vanished before the holidays, but because the magic of Harry Potter is only in books and people keep telling me it took me longer than 3 months to put this weight on, blah blah blah :) I was lucky enough to find someone that did a great job!
So here we are!

A boy after my own heart

2010-12-01T15:31:00.000-08:00

Ironic I would have two Parker posts back to back. Look forward to a girls post next week because we have a Christmas Concert and Ballet Recital to report along with family pictures to share...

Ok back to Parker.
I HATE wet socks! So it goes without saying that I am not a fan of the snow because it gets tracked in and melts and my unsuspecting feet find that wet spot and it ruins my day!
Parker has inherited this trait from me.
He doesn't wear socks but also gets upset when he steps in wet. So the past week or so has been hard on us both with all of the snow and having to use the front door, which we never do unless the garage door is snowed closed, which it is at the moment. So he has taken it upon himself to be the wet police. If he steps in or spots a wet spot he will grab whatever he can find and get down on his hands and knees and dry it up. AWWWW!
Unfortunate for whatever he grabs, it is not always mop up the floor appropriate, Sydney's blanket, a dish towel, my jacket, Sofia's pajama top...but you get my point!

We had a good Thanksgiving. We hosted Brian's family and had a delicious dinner prepared by Brian (ironic isn't it that he is the good cook and I am the person responsible for the cooking)

We are done with Christmas shopping for the kiddos and I've been wrapping a few gifts at a time.

Brian and I took the two oldest girls to see Tangled last week, it was great! We are now looking forward to a snow free evening so we can get down to town and see the lights at Locomotive Park!

A frightening moment

2010-11-18T00:58:00.000-08:00

WHEW!
You'd think will all of my childcare experience I'd be prepared...but I wasn't!

To put the situation into perspective let me tell you have I've been having phone issues. I took it in and had it erased and all of the factory settings were also restored. I dutifully put Brian as my #2 speed dial and went on my merry way. Then when I tried to call him by pressing #2 it would add numbers and tell me I couldn't call internationally, WHAT? So anyway I am calling them tomorrow to tell me how to fix it...

SO Parker, my spirited little guy was hitting with a truck and when told no he melted down while chewing on a carrot I'd just given him in the kitchen. He is a drama king and sobs often. Then his sobs turned to coughs and then gasps, he was choking on that carrot! He was trying to cover his couging with his elbow (like a good boy) and then started spitting up a bit. The girls ran to get paper towels and I was trying to stay calm knowing as long as he was coughing he was ok...then he stopped coughing.
I picked up my phone and pushed #2 only to get that dumb message and didn't have time to dial the actual number. So I carried him into the kitchen and found that spot you were taught to locate in elementary school and heaved. NOTHING HAPPENED. He didn't have air in his lungs to push it out and I was running out of time! I did the only unsafe thing I could think of and stuck my finger in his mouth and caught the gag reflex which dislodged the carrot and he was ready to get down and play, not be held against his will in my lap while I tried not to fall to pieces.
I am so grateful that it worked and don't know what I would have done if it hadn't.
No more carrots for that little boy!
Let's see if I'll ever be able to sleep again!

Friday Photo Bliss

2010-11-12T19:39:00.000-08:00

Halle made her first snowman this week. She managed to roll 3 balls and found the right parts then asked me for a carrot, she was so proud of herself!

Halloween

2010-11-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

We had a quietish Halloween. We had Mickey and Minnie, a Veterinarian, a Ladybug, and Princess Tiana the waitress.
I don't really like the quality but shooting a bunch of kids before an exciting event is stressful :)
We spent the afternoon at Grandma Sue and Grandpa Mitch's, trick or treated with Aunt Holly and Brayden on their street. We stopped by Auntie Carlene's and saw a pirate ship!

I am SO glad it is November! Let the shopping season begin!

Friday Photo Bliss

2010-10-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

{Friday Photo Bliss}
Inspired by The CoffeeShop Blog,
I am posting one image every Friday,
taken that week, that really makes me happy.

Our Crab Apple tree has been tormented and abused by the kiddos trying to get the apples prematurely. Now that they are ripe they love going outside if only to pick the apple of
their choice! They'd better hurry though, the wild turkeys also know where this
tree is and each year around this time they flock in by the dozens and pick the tree clean.

What's on your Christmas list?

2010-10-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

Brian and I are headed to the BIG city tomorrow and thought we would get a few ideas of what the kiddos are thinking they would like for Christmas.

Me: Payton what would you like for Christmas?
Payton: A doll house with ponies and dolls and puppies. A Barbie boy and little boy.
Me: Is that all?
Payton: Yes.

Me: Halle what would you like for Christmas?
Halle: A Beluga Whale.
Me: -silence-
Brian: *laughing*
Me: A Beluga Whale?
Halle: Yes
Brian: You mean a small one, like this big.
Halle: One with no runners, only a tail.
Me: You mean legs?
Halle: Yes
Halle: And some makeup, and a desk, and a computer, and maybe some clothes

Me: Sofia what would you like for Christmas?
Sofia: *repeats everything everyone else said*
Me: What about some dress up?
Sofia: OK
Me: Anything else?
Me: How about dress up shoes?
Sofia: Sure
Me: What about a doll?
Sofia: Mom you can get me everything.

Well it's a start but 5 is too young for everything Halle asked for except clothes, Payton doesn't take care of her items and spending a lot of money on a doll house she will climb on isn't too affordable. Sofia doesn't care what she gets...
I guess I am back at square one!

Kids and their quirks

2010-10-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

These kiddos and their quirks!
I am not sure if I mentioned before Payton's imaginary friend "Grandfather". But this girl and her "Grandfather" have all kinds of adventures. Almost anything she wants to do but is to little to do her "Grandfather" lets her do it. Their latest adventure involves "Grandfather" letting her cook eggs by herself, "I flip them over, I crack them, and everything!" (because I wouldn't let her :)
We were in the van yesterday and all the way to town she talked about where he lived and how she had other siblings that lived with him. She has SUCH an imagination!

Parker, Dear Parker! He has figured out how to get out of his crib and gets out all of the time. BUT when it is time for bed he insists on sitting not laying down, then he insists on having his baby, 3 stuffed dogs, and a huge Mickey Mouse on his lap before he gets covered up, the blanket goes OVER everything on his lap. When he gets out of his crib he takes everything with him and then kind of makes a nest with the items behind his door where he sits until it is time for him to get up.
That SILLY boy!

(Yes those are underwear around his neck)

Karaoke Saturday

2010-10-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

Th girls discovered a Karaoke machine in the shop. Here is Payton singing Daddy by Laughing Pizza. We really love this song! (I love Parker's backing vocals)

Parker turns 2!

2010-10-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

Can you believe my little...ok BIG guy is 2? It feels like yesterday when we were flying to Utah to welcome him into the world! He was the first baby where I was THERE to welcome! This picture is him right out of the chute! The 2nd picture he is 4 days old! ADORABLE!

And then he turned 1! That was a trying time! We were living in a rental while our house was under construction and NOT baby proof. But as you can see, he was still full of smiles!

And although this year has been full of ups and downs he STILL smiles, and it makes me smile :) He loves to sing! He loves to fight :) and he LOVES Mickey Mouse! He also loves his new baby sister. He is really "helpful" and thinks it is his job to hand her to me from the swing, hand me her bottle or hold it while I am feeding or wipe her mouth when she is done, SO helpful.

He is getting ready to transition from his crib to a big boy bed now that he can get out of his bed and room.
He is also expressing a want to use the potty but is having more fun playing than trying to figure out how things work. I can tell this year is going to be an adventure!

Here is a video of Parker and his newest quirks :)
(He loves giving "knuckles", please ignore his dirty body, he had just come in from outside)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PARKER!

The business of babies

2010-10-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

I have lost count of the number of times we have been asked the question, "so how many kids do you guys want?" Brian loves answering this question and usually his answer is not the truth but he is secretly poking fun at someone asking a personal question :D

Now that we have Sydney the family dynamics have changed and more questions arise.
Will we adopt again? Will I bear any more children? Does this change our outlook on the number of kids?

Firstly, let me tell you that when we announced we were welcoming our 5th through adoption we were posed with the question by a family member, "How many *** ****ed kids do you think you need?" Brian so cooly answered, "We do it one at a time." That has truly been our philosophy, slow and steady wins the race, right?
We are not sure that I will ever have the opportunity to bear another baby. We did decide that now we have Sydney it doesn't matter if we ever get pregnant again. I asked Heavenly Father for the chance to grow a baby and was blessed with Sydney. After a 7 year wait we are not going to keep our fingers crossed for another, but if we are blessed again, it is just that, a blessing :)

With that being said, I would love another boy, I feel so bad for Parker, and honestly he has been SO much fun! I love my girls don't get me wrong, but there is just something about his willingness to forgive, to not throw fits, and taking his consequences like a man that is refreshing! It also helps that he loves to play and is still willing to cuddle :D But we wouldn't say no to another girl either :D

Halle and Payton are already asking when I will have another baby in my belly. We told them that if we decide another baby is right for our family we will let them know but it might not come from my belly but could come from another belly. We have had the talk with the girls about them not growing in my belly but in another belly called a Birthmom ( a longer story I won't go into). Halle is very curious and asks all kinds of questions about it but Payton isn't so curious yet. At the beginning of the pregnancy the girls asked if, once Sydney was born if she would go on an airplane and live with another family, kind of like a baby swap?

With baby talk so abundant in our household it IS safe to say that no one really feels like our family is complete yet.

Let's just see what life has in store!

Payton's First Day of School and Family photos

2010-09-22T13:44:00.000-07:00

Payton started Pre K yesterday. She was so excited, all smiles and bouncing off of the walls with anticipation! Brian took her over and said that she was pretty timid once other kids started showing up. She seemed to have a good time.
So Tuesdays and Thursdays Halle and Payton are both gone, it is really different around here without them, Parker and Sofia followed me around all day yesterday wanting bossing around I think :D They were lost without the older girls telling them what to play and do :D

Also are a few pictures I took, not too great quality but Brian needed a new photo for his wallet.
Parker loved holding Sydney, he was so afraid he would drop her and when she whined I couldn't get him to smile until I picked her up. Now he thinks he is entitled to hold her whenever he wants and demands to hold her when he sits next to me :D

Enjoy!

Something to make you smile

2010-09-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

We've had a pretty rough week with sick kiddos, someone hitting our parked van and almost totaling it, Halle running away down the highway...

BUT instead of going into detail I am going to share an adorable video of Parker that makes me smile :D

Parker is our next American Idol. He is always singing and then clapping for himself :D
He doesn't like me taking video of him because he likes to watch the viewer on the back of the camera, so I bribed him with playing with Sydney's elephant that sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. So pardon the mess, Sydney isn't in her room yet so I don't feel the need to clean it up just yet.

I do not have much luck with getting videos on here so I am going to use the direct link and embed it! So if they both work I apologize in advance :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpv_E6tWjrg

Welcoming Sydney

2010-09-02T20:40:00.000-07:00

We are EXCITED to announce the arrival of Sydney Lou on August 30!
We are so blessed.

The not so fun side of being pregnant

2010-08-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

When asked I can't HONESTLY answer that I love being pregnant. If I am being honest I can say that the experience is NOTHING like I thought it would be, all expectations from hearing stories from others and from what I have read was almost thrown out the window. I could say that with expectations came disappointment and fear.

At the beginning we were DUMBFOUNDED! After TTC(trying to conceive) for 7 years and this happened out of the blue we were in shock! After the shock came the wait and of course the attitude that it was too good to be true. We were literally waiting for a miscarriage. We somehow made it through to our 12th week and got to hear her heartbeat and see her on the screen, it really was amazing. But in the back of my mind I was waiting to be one of those cases where a miscarriage happens in the middle of the pregnancy because this was STILL too good to be true.
When we didn't feel her kicking at the aforementioned time I just knew we were doomed...then we attended our 20 week ultrasound and got to see her again, there she was, twisting and turning and flipping around.

We or at least I walked around in a haze after that, knowing that even though I couldn't feel her that she was in there and growing bigger every day.
At 29 weeks I had the wonderful and AMAZING opportunity to see her in 4D! To get an actual glimpse of the soul I am growing was priceless. Still not feeling kicks or anything I honestly to this point just felt like I was on a BAD diet and gaining rather than losing :D I didn't feel pregnant.

At week 31 we were finally able to feel her kick. I remember the exact place, date, and time. SO after just under 8 months I was able to feel that wonder and joy and relax just a little, knowing that she is REALLY in there.

And here is where I can go back and say, "I AM GLAD to not have had any problems or obstacles!" because I am now feeling the NOT SO FUN SIDE of being pregnant.

We are 37 weeks today or FULL TERM! And my body knows it!
My Gestational Diabetes...I am now on Insulin every night, which makes me sick and I feel like a failure even though I know that it isn't my fault.
My carpal tunnel... has returned with a vengeance after a shot in the wrist a few months ago that cured it for awhile.
My feet...poor feet...are blue almost all day. They are so swollen that they tingle when I walk and sitting down is NOT an option most days.
My face...Yes it is nothing new to learn I have no neck and well here we call it my gobbler :D a double chin/neck BEFORE pregnancy now brings Halloween to me early in the form of a Sumo Wrestler face!
My back...I am sure I can blame it on weight lifting in High School :D trying to out do those boys, which I did succeed in doing but at the expense of my back? OUCH!

These complaints worthy of a country song are nothing new to those that have experienced pregnancy but for someone who had a completely different picture or at least expected things to hit them one at a time not all at once, life has been hard to cope with over the past few days!

So as we approach our last few weeks I can't help but be relieved that as grateful as I am and will always be for this experience I am SO happy that we are almost there!

July in a nutshell

2010-07-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

I realized it had been almost 3 weeks since my last post! WHOA!
It's not that there isn't anything going on, just too busy or tired to write about it :D

We had an exciting 4th. We started off the day with a parade and you all know how we love parades with homemade ice cream and bbq pork sandwiches YUM!
Brian's brother and his family came up to spend the afternoon/evening. We had a delicious bbq, fun games, and fireworks! The kids went through a CASE of snap pops and a CASE of bubbles :D
(8 kids, oldest was a few weeks older than Halle and the youngest was Parker)

I had a great birthday and the kids loved the party :D

Halle turned 5! She referred to herself as a princess the entire day. She had her 5 year check up and measured off of the scale as usual, a whopping 49 inches tall! She didn't even cry when she got her shots! She wanted to be brave like Sofia :D

Brian and I got a day away just the two of us which was nice!

That's our month so far in a nutshell! We don't have anything planned for the rest of the summer except getting ready for Kindergarten, Preschool, and the arrival of this baby. Life will be boring but we are enjoying the boredom before the chaos hits!

Enjoy the photos!

Moms Happy Birthday!

Halle and one of her gifts

Halle and her Barbie cake

Parker at the parade

HAPPY 4th (except Payton)

CHEESE

WHOA DAD! (Lighting snakes)

COOL!

Hilarious Payton with her ear plugs to block the noise and covering her mouth to
avoid the smoke but still managed to enjoy the show.

ENTRANCED

How does this confetti gun work?

We're BACK with some photos

2010-07-01T12:04:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it's been soooo long?

June was SUPER busy for us.
Halle and Payton did 2 weeks of swimming lessons. It was kind of tedious driving the 45 min each way for a 30 minute lesson but they LOVED it!
I went on a trip to Seattle and shopped til I dropped.
I had a 4D ultrasound done and got a peek at our little sweet pea, which was amazing!
We went down to Twin to see my family for the weekend and had a blast! The kids loved swimming in the hotel pool, bottle feeding the calf, everyone got to sit on a horse, and collecting chicken eggs at my Aunt and Uncles. We had a great birthday party for my grandparents and had a great time catching up.

I forgot to mention our new ride...That's right, our new family vehicle is a....
12 passenger van! Our Town and Country was too small to fit 5 kids in carseats and I didn't want to get a Suburban or anything like it because then we'd be climbing over seats to buckle and unbuckle. We drove the van down to Twin and it went well, access to everyone is nice!

We decided to spend this week home having some down time. But in actuality it has been me playing catch-up on laundry and housework :D

This weekend we plan on celebrating the 4th by attending our local parade and maybe a BBQ with the inlaws and a dip in a pool followed by fireworks.

My favorite 4D ultrasound picture

Halle on the horse assisted by Aunt Deb and Uncle Shawn

Payton and her chicken egg

Sofia feeding the goats

Parker loving Sallie

Parker and the calf

Summer photos

2010-06-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

e are SO glad that summer is finally here! The workers have returned and we are hopefully going to see the last of them soon with GREAT results including finished siding and paint, a lean-to on the side of the shop, and a new yard!
Here are some random photos of the kiddos over the past few days!

Sofia was panning for gold

Payton has been eyeing this dress at Wal-Mart
She was SO excited to finally get it. Every time
we walked by it she would hold it up and talk
about it!

Parker showing off his dancing moves to Celine Dion

The cows across the street are back!
They love looking out the window
watching the calves and cows!

Parker was tickling her back

Post #2- Swimming Lessons days 1 and 2

2010-06-15T21:19:00.001-07:00

The girls are SO excited to be in swimming lessons!
Halle has taken to it with gusto! She is even showing off a little :D
Everything they've asked her to do she does!
The most comical thing she did was when the teacher had them hanging onto the side of the pool and kick. She would not kick both legs at the same time, she would stand on one leg like a flamingo and not kick back but to the side, I wish I would have had my camera out then!

Payton on the other hand is very reserved! She won't put her face under water or relax when they try and get her to back float, she loves the water but only likes it from the waist down.

Day 2 Halle learning to kick

Payton learning to kick

The teacher asked her to put her face in the water and tell her number
she was holding up, this is what Payton did

The girls chilling out

If this video works this is Halle showing off.
The teacher threw rings out into the water and told the kids
to put their faces in the water to find them. She obviously
thought she'd show off

Stay tuned for a few posts! First up-Halle the sneak photographer

2010-06-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

All of the kids love looking at themselves on the viewer on the back of the camera. The girls also like taking photos, which without mom's permission is a big no no! Halle asked me if I would take some pictures of her room. I told her not right now. Imagine my surprise when I plugged my card into the card reader and these photos magically appeared! I guess these were the "important things" she thought needed to be documented. After a stern talking to she asked, 'My birfday is in July, can I have a camera like Mom's?"

The inside of her Barbie house

Door knob

My Little Pony

Artwork done by Halle

Inside of her bookcase

Sweet Deals

2010-06-01T00:36:00.001-07:00

Those that know me well know that...

I LOVE SHOPPING!

On the heels of that statement it has gotten me into trouble in the past :) since becoming a mom I've had to hone my skills and stretch money farther, especially at the end of the month or during those holiday months :)

When Halle was a baby I had a system. It was just her and I all day long and staying at home with a screaming baby wasn't fun. I found that she liked to go just as much as I did! So we went. We walked around all of the department stores and scored good deals most times!
But as our family grew I got out less and less, that's when I switched to Internet shopping!
I still have a system.
I only check the clearance "bin" at most stores and then visit my favorite coupon site (retailmenot) and find a coupon for a further discount!!

Ok so fast forward to recently.
I love Macy's!
I love my coupons there too!
In my usual way of browsing I happened on 10 clearance racks! It wasn't until my 3rd rack that I noticed the sign on the top of all of the signs that read, "Take an additional 40% off the marked price" WHAT! I had to start back at the beginning! I ended up getting Halle jeans for $2.99! Panties and socks (6 pack!) for $1.19! Carter's outfits and layette outfits with sleeper, top and bottom outfit, socks and bib for $4.00!
WOO HOO!

I was browsing one of my favorite sites www.dealnews.com and saw a sale at Land's End. I'd never heard of them before but ended up scoring Columbia type jackets for $19.99, originally $60! I say jacket loosely, they are jackets made for our weather, snow 7 months out of the year. I got them in the mail the other day and they are nice and HEAVY!
YEE HAW!

When Brian and I got married we shopped for my pants in the little boys section at JC Penny, can you believe it? I am not taller by any means but as I've gained in girth I've had a HARD time finding pants in my size. Usually a petite inseam is 28 inches, I am more like 25 but 26 works. My favorite store is, sadly, the girth store CJ Banks, which I DO love because I can find shirts and pants that work for this t-shirt and jeans gal! Unfortunately their prices are more reflective of YARDS of cloth instead of the tiny bit extra I need. Needless to say that buying a pair of jeans for $50 I'd think would make me feel more beautiful, like those commercials claim, right? Well I wear those jeans out, literally! So I've come to cherish the limited sales the store does have. And TA DA! Today I log on to order a few T-Shirts for Fall (the nice colors sell out fast and they only sell the t-shirts in the spring and summer) when I stumbled across a 70% off sale! WOO HOO! So as I browsed I saw them...my pants, for $13.00 and my t-shirts for $5! So instead of buying 1 pair of jeans and 1 t-shirt for $70, I got them for $18!

Ok...

Just had to get that off my chest! WOO HOO!

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite sites I frequent for deals :)
I already shared www.dealnews.com
www.babysteals.com
www.kidsteals.com
www.kids.woot.com
www.babyhalfoff.com

Ramblings and Pictures

2010-05-17T21:52:00.000-07:00

May has been busy! Payton's ballet career is coming to an end at least for the summer and they are gearing up for her recital. Halle starts her last week of Preschool this week and has already registered for Kindergarten. Sofia and Payton had to be tested this month to enroll in Preschool for next year! We registered Halle and Payton for summer gymnastics and 2 weeks of swimming lessons, June looks to be just as busy as May! Sofia's 3rd birthday is coming up the end of May, the girls are trying to convince her she wants an Imagination Mover party because she loves those guys! But the party supplies would be Wobble Goggles and Scribble Sticks and I don't know that I have the heart to be the one that ruins the magic when the items aren't "special" like they are on TV :) We may stick to Mickey Mouse :)

We decided after 2 years that we needed to find a new home for our beloved Golden Retriever Bindi. I just didn't have the time for her and felt guilty each time I looked out the window or went out to feed her. The great news is we found an AWESOME home for her where she will be loved to pieces! That meant that we were pet free...at least for 5 days anyway!
That husband of mine! He is SO soft! If you read our previous post you remember Payton's woes with everyone leaving us. So he went to town for work one day and came home with a...KITTEN! She was tiny, about 6 weeks old. So for those 5 days I was blissed out! No one but the kiddos to look after! And now here we are back to Mom being the one to care for the little thing because it can't survive 4 kiddos on its own! I am not changing the litter box because I know it was a no no but that means it is not getting changed...hmm, we'll see how long this lasts!

SO I mention this because the picture below shows Payton looking at the kitten. In the picture you will see Payton and a bald spot. I was giving Halle a shower and had the baby fingernail scissors out to cut the rubber bands off her ponytails. It didn't bother me that Payton had come in but when I turned around she was cutting her hair with the nail scissors! Now at first I wasn't worried because they are not sharp at all, I couldn't cut nails or rubber bands with them! But they cut hair, see the picture below. THAT NAUGHTY GIRL!

Warm weather came quickly this year! The past 2 days I think this miserable taste of what is to come this summer has made me SWEAT! I am already grateful for our AC.
Unfortunately this has made the kiddos want to be outside and in our unfinished yard the dirt is unimaginable and the cleaning of the kiddos DOES drive me crazy! Brian said that we are 5th on the Yard Makeover List (landscaper) and that will be about 4 weeks from now. I can't wait!

If you remember from a previous pregnancy post I have been lucky enough to miss most of the symptoms. Unfortunately about 18 weeks I was hit with pregnancy induced carpal tunnel. My hands went numb and hurt constantly. I would wake up multiple times a night because of it. The doctor recommended braces and they honestly worked for a bit, but not really. So last Monday I went to see a doctor and they gave me a shot in my left hand which was the one that hurt the most. The shot hurt worse than any other pain I've ever experienced, that being said I am about to experience worse pain in August :) but for now, OUCH! The relief was great, for about 4 days. For the past 2 days the numbness has been creeping back into the left hand but not the pain. The doctor told me that if it worked I could come back and get it in the other hand, but with the numbness returning I don't think I'll have it done.

Enough from me!
I'll leave you with an awesome sight! On our way home from Lewiston tonight we saw a double rainbow! It was awesome! It was also raining so I couldn't roll down my window to take the picture I had to take it through the window but think it turned out OK!

See! Cute kitten but look at that hairstyle!

Poor Halle. If you've been in our yard you'd know that they are going UP hill. She is too big for Payton to pull so she spends her time pulling around the others :) What a GREAT big sister!

Payton's baby

2010-05-06T20:29:00.000-07:00

Payton is SO excited about this pregnancy! She talks about the baby all of the time. Today she said, "Maybe you'll have a princess baby" how cute!
She is always wanting to see my belly and talk to the baby. Not new for Payton who loves babies! She has had the hardest time missing Alexa, but I truly believe Heavenly Father gave us this pregnancy for Payton.
She wakes up about 30 minutes before everyone at nap time and we watch a "Doctor Show" I've recorded, either Maternity Ward or Babies:Special Delivery. I only let her watch C-Sections so she believes that when this baby comes it will be cut from my belly (which for now is ok with me).
The other day we watched the birth of a baby with gastro...something, where the insides were on the outside. It really affected her. She immediately went downstairs and got her eye patch from her pirates costume and put it over her belly button. When asked what it is for she said, "to keep my belly safe" afraid her insides would come out :) Then she got her pretend blood pressure cuff and hooked it to her eye patch, "my air compressor to keep my baby safe", the blood pressure cuff mimics a fetal heart monitor (we see them on the moms on TV all of the time). She claims she has a baby bunny in her belly. Some mornings she wakes up and asks, "Mom how's the baby in your belly today?" I say "Good", she replies "mine too".
She kept the eye patch and cuff on for about 2 weeks!

Here is a picture :)

Vacation

2010-04-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

We had a great time on vacation. We loaded into Dad's pickup so the three in the back were within arms reach and Parker between us in the front and set out to reach our destination 10 hours away. The drive down was good. We stopped in Boise at the Outlet Mall :) and then I drove from there to Idaho Falls so Brian could do paperwork on the laptop. The kiddos were all REALLY great. We spent Thursday and Friday in Idaho Falls. We spent most of our time in the hotel pool with cousins Connor and Amber :) and Grandma Dixie was there to cheer everyone on. We also met a friend of mine at the zoo. We got to watch them feed the penguins, the kiddos loved the swans "look it's Swan Lake!" and the monkeys came right up to the glass!
Saturday morning we made our way to Twin Falls to see the rest of my family. We spent Friday afternoon at my Grandma and Papa's, which it is safe to say the place the kids had the best time, really! Why? Because they played in the dirt and cried when it was time to go to the FUN place! We met my mom, 3 sisters, and brother, niece, and nephews at a place called Hop 2 It, a warehouse full of bouncy houses! The kids loved it! Even Parker had fun in the ball pit!
We spent the night at my Grandma and Papa's and then hit the road the next morning. The drive home wasn't as fun :( but we were all ready to sleep in our own beds!

Parker and Reese checking out the Cranes

This dog was loving Sofia!

The kids got the MOST excited about...
CHICKENS!

I wanted to take this baby goat home!
Sheila, Hailey, Sofia, and Reese

They loved posing in the nest!

Here we are:
Christy, Myself, Cass, Mom, Cori, and Monica
(and Parker)

We're expecting....and pregnancy woes.

2010-04-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

We didn't care about the gender, but we are excited to put a gender to the miracle!
We had a great experience at our ultrasound! We got to see her flipping around, opening and closing her mouth, and shying away from the tech :)

I have been diagnosed with Pregnancy Induced Carpal Tunnel which is REALLY stinky and keeps me from being on the computer as much as I'd like :) on the not so great note it hurts just to brush my hair. I am having to take a lot of breaths and take things one at a time. I am not getting as much in a day done as I'd like but I've got to do what I've got to do.
My legs are also swelling A LOT. I have developed a system of doing something then putting up the legs :) then doing something and putting up the legs :) Let's hope it helps!

On a more positive note we are getting ready to head down south to visit family! We leave in just a few days and I've been busy all day doing laundry and packing in my head :)

Update in pictures

2010-04-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

Nothing much to report! We had a very uneventful Spring Break. We had a fun weekend with with a visit from the Easter Bunny AND the Tooth Fairy, a trip to the park, and a visit with Grandpa and Grandma. We are getting ready for a busy rest of the month though.
Here are a few pictures from our weekend at the park.

The only shot of Halle now missing her 2 bottom teeth.

Sofia LOVES the camera and asks to have her picture taken :)

Payton at the Easter egg hunt in Craigmont.

Parker and his toothy grin!

His new favorite thing to say is HIYAH!

Loved this photo except for my shadow, silly sun couldn't stay put for a second longer!

Sofia says!

2010-03-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

We like to lay on the floor as a family, most of the time it is cuddling or wrestling. I am being more careful and when Halle jumped on me I told her to be careful because she could hurt the baby. Sofia sat up and said, "where's ayexa?" I said, "she is talking about the baby in my belly." Sofia lifted up my shirt and said, "where?" I said, "under my skin, in here." She looked at me skeptically and said, "in your bum?" I laughed. She said, "In your beyyey button?" I said, "yes, under my belly button." She was SO cute! She cupped her hands and put her face down to my belly button and said, "baby come out! baby come out I want to see you!"
At my last appointment Payton was SUPER sad and a bit angry when I got home and said, "Where's the baby?" I said, "It's still in my belly, it has to stay in there until after Dad's birthday." I wish I could have taken a picture of her face :)

We are feeling a bit stir crazy these days! Halle is on Spring Break and is upset that she doesn't get to got on vacation or as she puts it, "an adventure!" No matter how much I remind her that we are headed for vacation the end of April she wants to go now! So it is up to me to figure out what kind of adventure we can have at home in boring Winchester :)

Children, aren't they funny, trying, and wonderful?

2010-03-17T14:43:00.000-07:00

Payton is growing up so fast! Now that she is 4 she is acting more like an almost Kindergartner than a Preschooler. She has always been helpful, but to be honest she is like me :) she thinks clean means picking up things she thinks are important and leaving the rest. But not wanting to be the one to clean up her leftovers I try to reason with her but so far no dice.
The other night when Brian was tucking her in she looked at him and said, "Dad if I make REALLY good choices could we go to the airport and get another baby?" Poor Payton. The loss of Alexa hit her the worst out of all of the kids. She is our mini mom and has nurtured everyone that comes into our home. She is also really excited about this pregnancy. When I came home from my last appointment she was angry because, "They didn't get the baby out!" So this morning we were in my office, she was reading and I was checking email. I was still in my computer chair but stretched my legs out and folded my hands and put them on my stomach(a nice rest since it sticks out there so far) and she screamed, "Mom you're gonna squish the baby!" I laughed and showed her where in my belly the baby was, she didn't look convinced so I put my hands on the armrests of the chair so she'd get off my back :)

Parker LOVES singing these days. He is always singing the popular phrase from different songs, he sings the EIEIO, up above the world so high, b-i-n-g-o, and others. He laughs so hard when we use fingerplays like illustrating Wheels On The Bus, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I know before I show him I'm A Little Teapot I need to get out the camcorder :)
He also is SO boy in loving balls! He sees a ball and thinks it belongs to him :) BALL, BALL, BAAAAAALLLLLLL! And if someone is holding it and he wants it, even if it isn't his he will say, "yet go! yet goooooooo!" He has also discovered OUTSIDE! Our new patio in the back is half covered so we can go out even in the rain to get some fresh air. He loves being out there and throws a fit when it is time to come in. I would let him stay out there but he doesn't stay on the patio when he follows his sisters or wants to see the dog-that he is obsessed with right now-and wanders out into the yard that is muddy and uneven and unfinished from last summers demolition of the yard. He has also discovered his stuffed dog's voice! He has had this dog from birth but just recently started carrying it around and shaking it, saying, "uff, uff, uff" CUTE!

Sofia is more stubborn than EVER! She had an entire afternoon of potty training before she was begging for her diaper. She doesn't want to be a big girl, and honestly doesn't have to be because when she cries her sisters give in, so do I sometimes, that girl can SCREAM! So last week I implemented my Mean Mom voice and told her that when she screams and doesn't use her words she will go to the corner. Today all I've had to do is give her the evil eye and she stops panting and asks. I know it will take time, but she is almost 3 for goodness sake! I do admit to coddling her early on, and with her new found site she is pushing buttons that before she could see, were not a problem, IE- climbing on the back of the couch, getting on the table, and wanting snacks and things from the pantry that are not for everyday consumption. On the other hand she is our funniest! She has Brian's sense of humor when she is not screaming :) She makes fun of other people's laughs, and uses words that she doesn't understand to our amusement, if she knows it makes us laugh she does it over and over :)

Halle is having a hard time being a kid right now. She wants to be grown up so bad! She is always asking to do things like have friends over, wear make up, paint her fingernails, redecorate her room(she thinks this needs to be done at least twice a year) and stay up later. They don't seem like bad demands but when she doesn't get what she wants she shows her true age and throws a spectacular fit! At the slightest, "in a minute, not right now, or maybe later" she either throws herself down and screams, blows her nose everywhere, knocks things off counters or upturning toy baskets. I try and talk to her about her frustration but she shuts down. Being so open with her feelings is my fault, I taught her to express herself from a young age, I know never to do that again :)
On the other hand she is our cleanest most compliant child. She always keeps her room neat, cleans up after her sister without being asked, and helps with most things.

It is an eye opener to have 4 different children with 4 different personalities at 4 different stages in life. What worked for 1 doesn't always work for another and so on. I am grateful for all of my pre-child training but some days I wish I knew more! It is definitely an experience that never gets boring, old yes, but never boring :)

Hormones, Dates, and Plans!

2010-03-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

I am definitely feeling the hormones this week! I am guessing it is a mix of cabin fever, emotional upheaval, and of course PREGNANCY :) WHEW!
I think the thing we will do is focus on the positives!
Brian and I will celebrate our 8th Anniversary next week! So this Friday we will go out to dinner because the BIG day is on a Monday. And on Saturday we are headed to THE BIG CITY for a day out! Hopefully for some maternity shopping, maybe some stress relief shopping :) and the most important time together! The drive is 3 hours each way, so we will have plenty of time in the car together without screaming, fighting, and singing to Barbie songs :)

Then April will be here!
We have 2 doctor appointments! The first is just the monthly appointment to make sure everything is on track, and then 2 weeks later we find out the gender and make sure the heart and brain are developed! Honestly at the last appointment I got to hear the heartbeat for the first time. I think that is when I started believing that I could actually have some hope for this pregnancy.

THEN
We hope to make the trek with Brian down to his meeting in Southern Idaho and visit the family! We are SUPER excited about that trip, we will go swimming, to the zoo, and play with ALL the cousins! Also see Grandparents GALORE!

Here's hoping for a better rest of the month!

Halle loses a tooth

2010-03-13T10:43:00.001-08:00

Halle has been to see the dentist twice. We were told at our last visit that her bottom two teeth wouldn't last much longer. Over the past few days they have been bothering her and she has been complaining and a bit scared. She asked, "Will I be able to talk?"
Last night one of the two finally fell out! She was SO excited!
We put her tooth in a glass of water and when she woke up the Tooth Fairy had come and taken her tooth, leaving her money! She told Dad she got $45! She only got $3 :)
I have pictures but I'll post them later :)

Saying goodbye to Alexa

2010-03-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

Saying goodbye is never easy but today it was heartbreaking.
We have known all along that adoption comes with a caution. Nothing is final until you go before a judge 6 months after your placement. We know this also from experience. This roller coaster of a ride is not for the faint of heart.

Due to circumstances beyond our control we were told we had to return Alexa.

Today I said goodbye to my beautiful baby Alexa. All day I held her (when she wasn't sleeping), talking with her, listening to her coo and giggle, knowing that 4 o'clock would be here when I blinked. When the time came for Brian to take her to the airport we both cried, looking at her and loving her one last time. Brian is returning her and will arrive home tomorrow evening.

It was one of the hardest things we've had to do. But we will get through it. I am just so sad that no one got a chance to know her. I will miss her smiles and hearing her laughs. But she will be in our hearts forever.

Halle and the Bible in real life!

2010-03-07T17:05:00.000-08:00

I guess I never really thought about the age when kids start thinking about God and Heaven. I know those that attend church on a regular basis get it from birth. But because we are not active going church members I have wondered how the discussion would come about. I am not sure if it was our babysitters talk of their grandma passing, our hamster dying, or the medical shows that Brian lets them watch with him where sometimes people die...

Lately Halle has started asking questions about God and Heaven.

Brian pulled out the Children's Bible and read her the story of Creation.
So a few days later Halle asks me, "Mom, did God make Chocolate?" I thought about it and said, "Well God created the Earth that has the dirt that the cocoa bean grew in that made your chocolate." She smiled and walked away. A little bit later she was talking about a medical show about someone losing their arm. She told me, "I could get hit by a car because I could get new arms, legs, eyes, hair, and everything else from God again." I told her it didn't work that way, that God gave you 1 body and that's it, it is your responsibility to keep it safe. Her eyes got wide and she said, "OK, I will"

A few days later I read Halle and Payton the story of Adam and Eve...

SO...we have this tree in our backyard, it is a crab apple tree and right now all of the rotten apples are uncovered because the snow has melted. The kids have started asking to go outside, and my response that day was, "Sure, but stay out of the mud and don't eat the apples." Halle piped up and said, "Because God told us not to and they are poison!" I laughed and said, "You are right, in the story we read last night God told Adam and Eve not to eat the apples, but these apples outside are not the same apples, they are just rotten." Halle got her boots and coat on and they played outside. So this morning they were over by the tree collecting things, I shouted across the lawn, "I hope you are not collecting apples, leave them alone." and Halle shouted back, "I know Mom, God told us not to eat them, we won't!"

I think the next story in the book is Noah's Ark...I can't wait to see how that goes!

Kids, Kids, Kids!

2010-03-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

Payton comes up with some of the most hilarious sayings. She is always using new words and not always correct :)
We have recently started giving Halle friendly reminders. She doesn't always open her mouth all the way and so most of her speech is unintelligible. So we tell her to get the rocks or marbles out of her mouth. This morning Payton woke us up and climbed into bed between us, visiting with Brian. When he asked me a question and I answered with MMM HMMM Payton said, "Mom you need to get the mumbles out of your mouth."
She also calls an umbrella an ungrella, I don't always correct her :)

Parker is also expanding his vocabulary. Right now his favorite phrase is, "Yet me go!" But he also frequents, cup, up, eat, peas(please) and right now he is loving Easter candy and that is the only time I can get him to say, MO, MO PEAS.

Halle has been sick quite a lot this year. It is weird because before she started preschool we were never sick, we knew it would change but not so often! She usually fights a cough and fever, I am grateful for the lack of vomiting! But oh she is so whiny! She loves being sick, she gets to watch TV, lay around, and doted on. If I ask her to do something she doesn't want to do she cops that sick face, drops her eyes, and lays down, sometimes making herself cough then telling me she is too sick.

Sofia is getting sassier with every day! She mimics her sisters and it drives me crazy! Her new phrases are, "You're a liar", "Dat's not fair", "You not my friend". The girls tattle each time and my response is, "Where did she hear it?" of course from them! She is also getting more independent about choosing her own clothes. I go in and pick out a pair of pants or shirt and she will say, "No mama, not that one!"

Alexa of course is amazing! She sleeps from about 8pm to 4 in the morning then eats and falls asleep and wakes again about 8. That is her routine, she wakes, she eats, she plays and smiles, and then sleeps again. Besides Parker she is the happiest baby yet!

Other than that we can't wait for Spring! But we are not happy about the state of the yard now that the remodel is over. MUD! YUCK!

Worth 1000 Words

Janurary so far

Pictures Update FINALLY!

Christmastime

Friday Photo Bliss

Thanksgiving 2011

Family Pictures 2011

Friday Photo Bliss

What I'm doing...

A Book I am MOST grateful for...

Friday Photo Bliss

Halloween

What I'm up too and PICTURES

Happy Birthday Parker!

I LOVE Instagram!

Friday Photo Bliss

Parker's new song, Sydney's Birthday, 1st day of school, and Friday Photo Bliss

Sneak Peek!

Updates about unpacking?

A new chapter! Ready or not, here I come!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HALLE!

My(Carter) family reunion

Sofia's Eye Surgery

"Camping" for the day in pictures

Friday Photo Bliss {a day late}

Surprise! Last day of vacation!

Surprise! A Vacation Day 3

SURPRISE! A Vacation! Day 2

SURPRISE! A Vacation! Day 1

Friday Photo Bliss

Fun with iPod Pictures

Happy Birthday Sofia!

Videos

The secrets to keeping your sanity. Lesson 2- Bathroom Wednesday's

Friday Photo Bliss a day late

Going, Going...

Guess what we did on Easter?

Friday Photo Bliss Bliss Bliss Bliss

Friday Photo Bliss

Friday Photo Bliss etc.

It's been awhile :) *update with pictures*

Randomness and pictures

Friday Photo Bliss and catch up

The secrets to keeping your sanity. Lesson 1- Laundry

Friday Photo Bliss a day late

The price of "freedom"

Scaredy Cat

Geneology

Hodgepodge

Happy Birthday Payton!

Friday Photo Bliss

Parenting realities and truths

Friday Photo Bliss and catch up

Friday Photo Bliss

The culprit has been apprehended!

2010 Year in review DVD

Friday Photo Bliss

Friday Photo Bliss

Friday Photo Bliss

Randomness of Goal Keeping

Christmas Random

Friday Photo Bliss

Do you have a "3rd" child?

Friday Photo Bliss

Friday Photo Bliss a day late

Family Photos

A boy after my own heart

A frightening moment

Friday Photo Bliss

Halloween

Friday Photo Bliss

What's on your Christmas list?

Kids and their quirks

Karaoke Saturday

Parker turns 2!

The business of babies

Payton's First Day of School and Family photos

Something to make you smile

Welcoming Sydney

The not so fun side of being pregnant

It's been awhile :) update with pictures