Halloween 2009

I definitely need to start blogging again!

It has been almost a year since I have posted anything. Where has the time gone? Too many things to do I guess that I don't take time to stop and write. One day I know I'm going to regret that.

As far as the pumpkins go, we were not even going to get there this year. Life was that crazy. Work had me coming in extra days in order to train for a system they aren't going to start for three months! And family life seemed crazy as well. The night we were going to carve, the Selah 1st Ward ghost came and gave us goodies making it mandatory that we delay our pumpkin plans and reciprocate. By then I was ready to not go there this year. No time and no money made the tradition seem impossible.

But then a bright light appeared in the form of Wal-Mart and their crazy mark-it-all-down deals. I innocently went shopping there and low and behold, the pumpkins were marked down to $1!!! Can you believe it? Who can pass that up! So my sentimental side caved in and I bought 5 pumpkins -- one for each child. I was a little hesitant because I knew we would have to carve them on Saturday morning which is the 31st. Leaving one day for the pumpkins to come alive. But for $5, it seemed totally worth it.

Which it was.

 
 
 
 

Christmas Cheer!

OK, this post is for you Sketchy........

I have many things to post and no time to do it. Between a newborn, a toddler, two moves in the last 3 months, my energy is divided between changing diapers, cleaning up messes, packing, unpacking and other such obligations. No time for blogging.

YET I know Sketchy is dying for some Christmas pics and I have been dying to share them so here they are: (Besides I were rather blog than do any of the above items ANYDAY!)

Probably most precious though was watching Aubrey experience her first real Christmas. It was very fun, even though there were a fair amount of tears along with the joy. If you can't tell from the video, she is opening her gift of a baby doll, stroller, crib, etc. all in this box. She was torturing her siblings by tearing the wrapping paper off piece by piece, However, when she saw what it was she wanted it opened immediately and had no patience for set-up. (Mental note, next time build the stroller before Christmas morning!)



Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Aren't we glad for technology that captures these moments forever???

First smiles!

Payton just started smiling. The first smiles were cute, but we were unsure if they were voluntary. Yesterday she was smiling a ton and you knew it was her little personality starting to emerge. We had lots of fun!

The Toddler Chronicles

Aubrey is growing so fast everyday. She is really becoming her own person. Although she enjoys being like her two siblings as you can see:

Being like her brother:

She got a hold of Ethan's Indiana Jones hat and whip and started swinging it around. It was clear she was trying to emmulate someone.






Being like her sister:


These little dolls are Grace's and before I snapped the picture she was hugging and kissing them. Of course she stopped when I pulled out the camera.



Being herself:

No comment needed







Her vocabulary is growing. She understands almost everything and loves to "talk" to you (although most of what she says is inaudible.) She has mastered some of the names -- she can say Grace ("RAAAASE!") and Ethan has become "De-Dan". Addie's name comes out "Da-di" and Hannah's name has not been mastered yet. Of course she says "Mom" really well. (MAAAAAAAA!) And she has mastered "Dad" although she doesn't say that as much. And of course she can say "NOOOOOO!" which she says with total conviction.

Fortunately she has very endearing moments also. Like when she goes #2 in her diaper, she comes to me waving her hand in front of her nose and says "I sti" (meaning I stink). Hopefully that will serve us well when we start potty training. She also tries to soothe Payton by saying "Sh, sh" even when Payton is not crying. I like that better than when she tries to lay on her and smother her with kisses.

She is also quite the dancer. Anytime music is playing, she starts boogy-ing down. Especially when the "Dora" theme song comes on. She does a mini-cheer jump and then starts dancing around. Very cute.

Having a toddler is not always easy, but it definitely keeps me young. Although you couldn't tell by my gray hairs..... Oops!

Speaking Out

Once again my sis has inspired me. Although I cannot boycott "The View" (because I love watching Hot Topics), I can speak out. Especially when she protests in front of an LDS temple and says something like this on national TV:

So I sent this to ABC:

"I object to Whoopi's characterization of the Mormon church on the View. Yes, the LDS church members supported Prop 8, so did many other religious people, including Catholics, Jews, Evangelicals, and Muslems. The LDS church did not fund Prop 8. It was funded by thousands of Californians who donated $100 or less to the campaign. It is the same process that elected Pres Obama in the historic election. No one church passed this legislation. It was democracy and it prevailed."

It would have been longer, but they only take 500 words. Who knows if she'll ever see it, but I felt better. My little act of defiance.

Pumpkins!

Ok, this is a little late, but we had so much fun watching our cousins carve pumpkins that we had to post our carving experience as well -- even though this is 2 weeks old.

Sketchy, this is for you!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

And this was the end effect:


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books
We miss you, Sketchy family!

Six Weeks Later

It is amazing how fast time goes:

Six weeks ago we had a tiny newborn, weighing only 6 lbs, 9 oz.


Look how much she has changed! She is bigger, more alert and starting to hold her head up. Soon she will start to smile!



We are all enjoying her, but especially Aubrey. It is very cute to watch her get very close to Payton's face and "talk" to her in a high pitched "baby" voice, when she is still so much of a baby herself.
Aubrey especially loves to hold her and was very mad at me when the photo shoot was over. But she was recovered quickly. Payton started to cry and Aubrey tried to sooth her by going "Shhhhh, shhhhh." Very precious.

Kids make life so much fun.

Halloween Fun

Well I did it! I didn't think that with having a baby and moving we would actually get costumes accomplished for six children for Halloween. But we made it!!!! And I accomplished without sewing one costume (who could with everything in boxes??) With the help of Ebay, Goodwill, Amazon.com and hand-me-downs, we actually outfitted everyone for less than $50. I am so very proud of that!

First off is Grace. Her costume was very easy since she had this beautiful blue dress from being in her aunt's wedding last year. We knew it would make the perfect Cinderella costume and thankfully she agreed. As you can tell from the clock, it is 7:05 which means we were late for our ward Halloween party (again! I can never manage to get there on time.)

Ethan wanted to be Indiana Jones this year. I was very lucky to find a leather jacket for a boy at Goodwill in September before all the chaosis hit. It was black, but he looked the part. We ordered the hat and whip from Amazon.com for about 10 bucks and the rest of the costume was just his clothes. EASY!

Addie had the hardest time deciding on a costume. She considered everything from High School Musical, a babysitter, a chef, etc. Finally she decided on Junie B. Jones and it turned out really cute. Everything came from Goodwill and then we put a "Hello my name is Junie B. Jones" sticker on her so she could be recognized.

Hannah has wanted to win a costume contest FOREVER! Last year I told her "If you want to win, you have to get creative and wear a costume no one else does." Well, this year she found one, made it herself, and won a prize not only at the ward halloween party, but she also won at school where only two kids in her lunch period were given awards. Can you guess what she is??? Give up??? Ok, I'll tell you.... she's a cup of hot chocolate, Cute, huh? I was proud of her for doing it all herself.


The youngest two got the benefit of handmedowns. Aubrey was a mouse (came from Ebay)
and Payton was a peapod which was given to us. (I've always thought this costume is so cute but have never had a baby to put it in!)
Wade and I also dressed up as hippies and we should've made Aubrey a flower child and Payton a "love child", but of course I alway get these ideas after the fact. You'll have to wait for our picture however -- in all the bedlem, I didn't get our picture taken. Wade's brother took a picture of us, but I haven't gotten it yet. I'll post it when it comes -- Wade's looks hilarious with long hippie hair.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the pics! Halloween is fun, but I'm glad it's over. Now it is on to Christmas!!

October 20th -- Day of Births

It's taken me a while to blog this -- sorry I'm rather busy with six kids, what can I say?

October 20th is Ethan's birthday. He turned 7 this year. He was my first child to be born early and came all on his own, with no induction. He was also born on his grandpa's birthday which was a surprise to everyone! So every year, they spend it together. This year, Ethan wanted everything Indiana Jones -- cake, legos, etc. Grandpa also gave him the Batman racing set that he enjoyed also.





I made the Indiana Jones cake myself and really liked how it turned out. It is probably one of my favorites!! If you can't tell, it is a volcano with Indy and a warrior standing on the top. The candy symbolizes the lava. I'm not a professional, but it was fun to make.

All and all it was a very fun day. With six kids and five of them girls, it is refreshing to do boy things every now and again.

Welcome Payton!

Our sixth child surprised us by breaking my water and coming 4 weeks early on Saturday, September 27th at 10:26 p.m. We named her Payton Marilyn Fe. (Fe is Spanish for "Faith") She weighed 6 lbs, 9.5 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. She did turn head down so no cesarian for us -- just a long drawn out day!




Unfortunately they took her to the NICU for some breathing issues and kept her ever since due to some blood tests that concerned them. They still have her and will hopefully be sending her home this week. We miss her, but know that she will be home soon. Seeing the sick babies in the NICU make you realize how truly blessed you are since she is one of the healthier ones by comparison.

Her siblings (and grandma) waiting to play with her. They only got to see her for a moment:

We'll keep you posted!

What goes up, must come down........

Breech! I learned two days ago that my baby is breech. The head is up top and she is sitting in a V shape with her bottom where the head should go. The feet are up by the head which sounds uncomfortable I know, but explains the tickling sensation I have felt in my ribs (little toes, I am sure). It also explains why I can only lay on my left side comfortably and not my right and why I am not running to the bathroom every 15 minutes since there isn't much pressure on my bladder. Crazy, huh?? Thus, she looks something like this:

I have never had a breech baby before. I found out at my doctor's appointment on Wednesday -- I was concerned the baby was transverse because they continue to hear the heartbeat on the right side. My midwife tried to feel my stomach to get a sense of where the baby was, but things were inconclusive so they did an ultrasound right there in the office. And sure enough, the baby was upside down (or is that right side up?)

I also learned that the baby is definitely a girl which was comforting since my SIL just found out her first ultrasound was wrong and after having her baby shower and buying everything, they discovered it is a boy not a girl as they were first told. (Her first baby too!!! How sad is that!) So for me, this 2nd ultrasound confirmed the first diagnosis of gender so there is no hope left for Ethan my only son.

(Yesterday he said to me, "You don't want to have another one do you?" I told him, "Sweetheart, if we did, you'd probably have another sister!")

Now the prognosis is to see if the baby turns by next week (I'm 36 weeks now.) If not, the OB will try to do an aversion to turn the baby and see what happens with that. (Yes, that does sound very painful) They are about 65% successful so I guess it depends on how stubborn the baby is. Because if it doesn't work, it will a cesarian for me.

My first midwife for a pregnancy and a possible c-section. Isn't it funny how life works???

SOLD!!!!

Just a quick update on our house................


We have sold it! It went fast once we listed with a realtor, and it should close on October 13th which is only 10 days from my due date! Needless to say, we are stressing some, but we found out we can rent a 4 bedroom house in our ward and school district from an LDS couple in Sunnyside. So we are hoping to start moving on October 1st and give ourselves time to move and get the house cleaned for the new owners.

It is a very strange feeling to think of someone else living here mainly because of all the work we have put into it, but we are excited to start building our next house and are hoping we won't need to rent for very long. We just need to decide where we want to build and if we want to be in a housing development or out in the country. Of course hopefully the banking industry doesn't collapse shortly and we are left with no house and renting for a long time, but that is just the pessimistic side of me talking.

As far as the rest of life goes, I love my new work schedule, but it has depleted our finances so that is an adjustment. Fall sports have begun and Hannah is playing school volleyball and Ethan & Grace are doing soccer. So far, I haven't managed to get Addie interested in anything, but still trying. The baby is coming soon and some days (ok, most days) I feel completely overwelmed and depleted, but I know God won't give us anything we can't handle, so I have faith in that. Plus, the maternity leave will be nice and having a new spirit in the home is always a blessing. This is the last child so I have to enjoy every part of it.

Just an update for you all!!! I will share again soon.......

SNL Has Done It Again

No matter what side you are on, this is hysterical!

Change, change, change.....

A new school year has begun.

So many changes happening around here.

Four out of my five children started back to school this fall. Mornings are rather quiet now with only my 19-month-old. I have to say that I am enjoying it. (Does that make me a bad mother??)
It is nice to have 3 hours in the morning to clean the house, enjoy the computer, and get a good start on the day.

I am however now in my 8th month of pregnancy. A major change is coming to our family next month. I'm not sure if I am ready, but then again, who is??? It is doesn't matter what number of child it is, you are never quite prepared. They say it is another girl -- you think after 4 girls and 1 boy we would've tipped the odds, but God must want us to take stock in wedding announcements.

I changed my shift at work so no more night shifts! I'm now on swing shift, still part-time (10 shifts a month) but much better for my physical well-being. It is hard because I am working every other Sunday and every Monday evenings, but it is so much better for my sanity. I know that when the baby comes, I need to be able to function during the day instead of just lying on the couch waiting for nap time.

We got another offer on our house (the second this month). We countered and are waiting to hear back. This could mean some major changes soon -- packing up, moving to a rental and starting to build. If I think about it too long, I start to hyperventilate, so I just have to have faith and be patient. I can't decide if it is better to sell before the baby comes or after. Either brings challenges and blessings. I just have to leave this one to God's hands.

Last change: I have a new calling at church. I was released as the Primary President at the end of August and am now the secretary in Young Womens. I am very excited about this calling which is another reason I'm not sure I want to move. The only affordable land we have found is in the other ward. I'm afraid to change wards because I'm sure they would put me back in Primary! I guess I just need to have faith on this one also.

So September has brought many changes for me. What about you? Are you changing too?

Vacation..... All I Ever Wanted

Vacations! I love them! The time to get away from life and reality and be together as a family. I love every part of them. And I'm always sad to come home again despite the stress of being away from home. It's just so much fun to be in another town doing things just for fun and of course, visit family.

Our vacation this year was to UTAH! We have never been together as a family before and I really have wanted to take the kids to Salt Lake City and do the whole Utah toursit thing -- go to Temple Square, BYU, etc. etc. So this year, Wade's family reunion was in Preston, Idaho which is only 2 1/2 hours from SLC so we decided to take advantage of spending that much money in gas ($500 by the way) and take 10 days to go to Salt Lake after the reunion, stay with my aunt and see as much as we could. We had a great time.

FIRST STOP: Preston, ID for Family Reunion

Because Hannah had Girls Camp, we didn't get to the famly reunion until Sat afternoon and only had 1 day to see everyone. It felt very rushed, but it was still great to see people we hadn't seen for a very long time. And it was very fun to enjoy the pool at the lodge although unfortunately that was the cleanest part of the facility.






SECOND STOP: Salt Lake City, UT

We then traveled to SLC where my aunt lives and spent 5 days there. We had a wonderful time. We went to Temple square and both visitors' centers there.

We also went to the Church History Museum which is one of my favorite places. I have been before, but have not taken my children. It was neat to see their reactions to things. My second daughter who is 9 was in awe and stated "I can't believe they have saved all these things from the pioneers!"

We also went to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and saw the new Joseph Smith movie. Aubrey (my 18 month old) conveniently took her nap during the movie so that worked out just fine.

Our favorite place however was the This is the Place Heritage Park.

We spent two days there and had a blast! If you haven't been, it is a park by the "This is the Place" Monument where they have recreated SLC from the pioneer days. Some of the buildings are the actual buildings/homes/cabins that were relocated to the park. Other buildings are recreations of the buildings. There was a large train that takes you around the park because it was tiring to walk from one end to the other. And a smaller train to ride around the pond. We enjoyed both as well as many other things. The kids got to wash clothes, pull a handcart, ride horses, tie rugs and make candles. It was much better than an amusement park. I highly recommend it.




After five nights with my aunt, (does she look tired to you?) we left Utah for our third and final stop--

THIRD AND FINAL STOP: Boise, ID

This was a perfect stop on our way home and we got to see my brother, sister and cousins at the same time. We stayed for 2 days and had lots of fun. It was the perfect end to our vacation.

So that is our vacation for 2008. Gas was outrageous, but what can you do? Gotta create those family memories. What did you do this summer? Or is it still to come? I have to admit that I now have vacation blues -- facing reality until the next vacation comes along.

Okay....maybe every two weeks

See, I'm already behind. I said once a week and already it has been two. My life just goes by way too fast. BTW, I'm experimenting with photo profile so you'll have to bear with me until I find the right one. Input is appreciated.

We have been busy getting our house ready to sell. What a headache! I never thought it would be this hard. (Cute hubby painting house:)
We had the first people come to look at it this last weekend, and boy were we stressed out. Of course we wanted everything to be perfect so we were yelling at the kids to help clean up and then stressing as we saw every last minute detail we had forgotten about. Finally, 15 minutes before they were supposed to show up, I threw the kids in the car and we went to the park and my hubby stayed to show the house. (we figured 5 kids might be a distraction). It went well, but they haven't called back so obviously not well enough. But it was only the first visit. Tomorrow another couple is coming and all of the 12 flyers we put out in the box are gone. So things are moving along. But can you feel the pressure?????? I just feel like my life has become "La Casa" and getting it sold. After this, I'm moving into one house and staying there forever. I never want to sell a house again.

My beautiful daughter turned 9 this last Sunday. Darn kids -- they grow up too fast. She especially is starting to look older everyday.
I don't think I'm ready for two pre-teen girls. Right now she is just as sweet as can be, and a huge help with the younger kids. But in another 3 years, she'll probably be rolling her eyes and sighing heavily when I offer suggestions. Asi es la vida!

My eldest daughter (hence the one who's given me experience to know where the others are going) left for her first Girls Camp this morning. That was very strange to know that I am old enough to have a young woman headed off to Girls' Camp. She was excited, but very nervous as she still has some trouble sleeping at night. But she was with her best friends so I'm sure she didn't want to look too frightened in front of them (saving face). I'm sure she'll have a wonderful time, and we may even get a phone call or two before the week is over.

Speaking of over, I think my brain is done. I worked a night shift last night and went back for swing shift today. So I think i'm pretty well toast. It's a wonder I can even type anymore. i feel my pillow calling me so i will sign off now. maybe i'll blog again before we leave for utah on friday ...........but don't count on it. ;)

Back in the Saddle Again

I have been terribly lax about blogging. In fact, I have not posted at all. For more than SIX months! So if there is anyone out there who will still read this, let's just say that I am shocked and amazed.

But my two sisters have inspired me, so I decided to try once more. Hopefully it will be like riding a bicycle -- I'll be able to get right back on.

Don't expect miracles -- I hope to post once a week just to let you all know what's new with us. Sometimes it may be more and sometimes it may be less, but hopefully never again will it be SIX months.

We are once again out for the summer. And unlike other moms, I love, love, love it mainly because my husband is home on summer vacation from teaching high school. It's great to have him here. He helps so much and motivates me to do more. Plus, I get to sleep after working night shift and I don't have to come home in my drunken stupor to get kids off to school. So while other mothers are dreading their kids home all summer, I am the opposite and look forward to June just as much as if I was going on vacation myself.

We are almost ready to sell our house: the bathrooms are finished and we are working on getting it painted. Hopefully by July 1st it will have a FOR SALE sign in front of it. We decided to try it without a realtor, just for the summer. Just to see if we could save that extra $11,000. If nothing happens by September, we will list it since I will be too pregnant and exhausted to do much of anything.

Yes, we are expecting our sixth and definitely last child in October. This one I totally knew was coming, but had not been able to convince my husband so I never stopped taking "the pill". Needless to say, God wanted this child to come and surprised us both . It seems as I have gotten older, I have gotten MORE fertile, not less, which is quite astonishing to me. I was so sure it was a boy, but the ultrasound stated probably a girl although they could not see very well since the cord was in the way so I'm not going to be convinced until the baby comes. Then we'll know for sure. Either way, this is LA ULTIMA because we are buying a Suburban to fit us all and I don't want to move up to the 12 passenger van (no offense to those who have one -- I just don't like to drive them).

This is car we are getting:It is a 2001 with 75,000 miles that we got for a good price. We feel guided by God in finding it, perhaps to ease the shock of the two positive pregnancy tests. The gas will be a killer of course ($4.11/gallon the last time I went to Costco), but any big vehicle has low MPG and right now we need big. I am adament that we have a car we can all fit into and a table we can all sit around. The table is the next purchase item besides the house.

Speaking of the house, after we sell this one, we will move into a rental while we build our new one. This is a drawing of the outside:

If you want to see the floor plans, check out this site: Merriwood House
We are going to convert the bonus room into a 4th bedroom. We almost went for the 5 bedroom, 2800 sf house, but since it was $20,000 more, we decided to go for something smaller. Plus, I love the bottom level layout better than the 2800 sf house. We feel good about this so hopefully it will work out for us.

Well that is about it. Six months sure stores up a lot of information. If you are reading this you are a good friend and I'm so grateful to know you!!!

10 More Days..... Start the Countdown

It is 10 more days until Christmas! Can you believe it???? I am so not ready. I wish I were one of those prepared, planned-out shoppers who had everything down by December 10th, but I am just the opposite. Usually I am finishing up things up until Christmas Eve and and there are some things I plan that never get accomplished. Like every year I plan to make my kids PJs for Christmas Eve so they will have new ones to wear on that special night, just like my SIL. But somehow the flannel still sits on my shelf waiting to be sewn. I always plan on doing the "12 days of Christmas" for someone special and I have again missed my opportunity for the 5th year in a row. And I always plan on reading a special Christmas story to my children every night leading up to the big day. And I have not even read one. You see, I am not a Super-Mom, I am not even her sidekick. I am only an Average Mom trying to stay sane during this hectic Christmas time.



So to honor all you other Average Moms out there, I've decided to catalog some of the things I have accomplished this holiday season, to distract me from my thoughts of mayhem and discouragement.


1) I have decorated the house, including putting up the inherited Christmas village from my mother who passed away two years ago (see previous SIL post on same subject)




2) I have hung the Christmas lights outside, including convincing my hubby to get on the roof so that we can have lights on the side of our house for the first year ever.


3) I have ordered the photo Christmas Cards to be sent soon to all our family and loved ones (they are not sent yet, but they have been ordered.) AND the stamps are bought.

4) I have taken my children to see Santa although the first two got on his lap and off again so quick that I couldn't get a picture.


5) I have placed the Hallmark Nativity story in a prominent place (above the sink) to remind me each day of the true meaning of Christmas (each day it tells a different part of the Nativity Story just to keep your mind in the right place).

6) I have attended and videotape all 4 of my children's holiday concerts, including the elementary school's ambitious attempt at the Nutcracker that required my 8 year old to be at all four performances since she was a "dancing flower" and I guess those are in high demand.


7) We have drawn names in our immediate family so each child has someone to buy for and do nice things leading up to Christmas day. Grace has me and draws me pictures everyday just to say I love you. (You can't buy that magic.)

8) On the flip side, I have tolerated a moody 4-year-old who one minute, is so cute and excited and happy about Christmas, and the next minute is throwing a fit because she wants to look exactly like Mary for the ward party "Christmas in Bethlehem" (and the outfit I made doesn't fit the mold). Why again do we do this to our kids?

9) I have taken my oldest daughters to see the Nutcracker Ballet at the Capitol Theatre, including having a much need girls night out complete with dinner at the Chinese restaurant.

10) I have eaten more Christmas candy than I should have up to this point (is this a good thing?) and watch the Santa Clause movie twice..........just because.


All and all, it is turning into a truly wonderful holiday season.

Yeah DSL!

Today is a red-letter day at the Erickson household because we finally have DSL! After years of staying with dial-up for $9.95/ month, we have finally switched to DSL because we just could not stand it any longer. It was starting to seriously drive us crazy. So when our phone company offered a package of DSL and home phone for a reasonable cost -- we jumped on it.

So this summer we remodeled our kitchen and ever since then I have been promising my siter Sketchy pictures how it all went down. But uploading pictures on dial-up is torture so I have been waiting for this day -- the DSL day -- to show my sis (and everyone else) what it all looked like so here it goes:

BEFORE THE REMODEL

Note the blue countertops and the dingy white cupboards. Not to mention the flowered wallpaper. It was a kitchen straight out the 1950s.




DEMOLITION

Sorry we have no pictures of the actual demolition, but here is what it looked like afterwards:

DOWN TO THE STUDS

Before the window:

After the window:

Uncle Bill came up to help us with the drywall with his hurt leg and all.

And then it was on to painting and installing the cabinets we bought from Home Depot. Uncle Brett helped with that part of the process.

TILING

We decided to tile not only the floor, but the countertop also.It turned out we could get granite tile for cheaper than the cheapest linoleum. For the floor we went with something dark -- to hide any dirt. The tile we liked was 16x16 which we weren't sure we would like, but we really liked how it turned out, especially with the countertops using 12x12 tiles. We chose the 12x12 for those because I don't like all the grout lines. They are granite tiles which is wonderful when you want to cut something or put a hot pan on them. Uncle Jason help with all of this, but was smart enough to stay out of the pictures.


FINAL PRODUCT


After 2 months and several stressful days of microwave dinners and pizza, the end was well worth the means. I love my kitchen so much sometimes I don't want to leave it. My hubby did an awesome job. We are still planning on putting a microwave over the stove top area and replacing the appliances (except the refrigerator.) Still, he came a long way in 2 months and I'm very proud of him. (Although I don't know if I could ever go through this again.)

Well, that's about it! It was so much easier with DSL. Here's to more blogs in the future!

Halloween Fun

Yes, I am actually creating a post. Aren't you all shocked and amazed????? (All 2 of you.) To tell the truth, it is difficult for me to blog on dial-up. Yes, I am one of the 10 people left in the world who doesn't have DSL. And when it is time to blog, it is a nightmare!!!!!! But soon we will be getting DSL and I will be off in blogging heaven. Until then, it must only be reserved for special occasions, like.......................................Halloween!

I have always loved the Stitch costume at the Disney Store online and this season it was on sale, 50% off! (Plus free shipping) Who can pass that up? With the help of an agreeable son who gave up illusions of being a superhero and a daughter who insisted she was being Lilo and no one else, not even Cinderella, we had a great looking pair. They even won a prize at the Church Halloween Carnival for being the most original costume in the 0-6 age group. (Not hard when everyone else is either a princess or Spiderman).

Hannah and Addie had their own ideas for their costumes, being the tweenagers that they are. Hannah gave up her idea of being a pirate a week before Halloween in favor of being a "Spa Princess". She loved it especially because she got to wear slippers to school. Addie decided on the all-famous Hannah Montana. It sounded like an easy costume, but the uncooperative wig and finding the right clothes turned out to be harder than I thought. Still, it worked out in the end after the second attempt at it (the first try imitated a street walker, I'm sad to say!)

Aubrey was the easiest because frankly she didn't have a say! I found this Eeyore costume at Goodwill for $4 and loved it. (Just the right size too).She looked so cute in it and like playing with the ears as you can tell! Goodwill is my new love for costume shopping. Great bargains if you can convince your kids that it is what they want to be.

All in all, it was a fun holiday and I am thankful it is over so that we can move on the to less stressful ones like Thanksgiving.......... Oh then it will be Christmas so I guess stress-free is not in my future anytime soon. Anyone for Groundhog Day?

The Worst Blogger Ever

I have to proclaim myself the WORST BLOGGER EVER. I am just as bad at getting this done as I am journal writing, fixing up things, scrapbooking and ironing the clothes. I have hugely procrastinated the day of my bloggi-tance and I fear I will no longer be able to measure up to those who excel so greatly. I know I should forsake my sins of procrastination and start to blog again so that I can tell you all about many wonderful things such as:

* My daughter's baptism
* Our trip to Silverwood
* My baby's wonderful new laugh
* Our kitchen renovation

Etc. Etc. Etc.

Until next time, my fair bloggers. May you be truer to me than I have been to you.

Miniature Golf on Memorial Day

Last Monday we wanted to do something together to celebrate the holiday. My first idea was a picnic -- you know out to the lake, complete with games and good food and relaxation. It was a great plan, but I didn't think how tired I would be from working the night before and thus, was in no mood to make the food or plan the games. All I wanted was easy. So we decided to try something new -- we took the kids miniature-golfing.

It was very inexpensive. Since we needed 6 clubs, one of the games was free. Thus for our whole family it ended up being less than $20 ($16 to be exact). Much cheaper than bowling or the movies -- those easily cost us over $30. And we had a blast doing it.

Grace on Hole #1

Dad Helping out the Kids

Addie Lookin' Cute on Hole #9

Hannah & Ethan spottin' the green

We started out keeping score, but by Hole #4, it was a free-for-all. Especially my 4 year old. She kept putting the ball really close to the hole and then tapping it in and exclaiming with glee "I got a score!"

Of course, I could not be left out even with a baby. It did take some creativity to get the ball in the hole sporting the child on the front of me, but it was worth it!

All in all, we had a great time. The only drawbacks were the very hungry mosquitos that greeted us around Holes #5-8 and my camera battery dying at Hole #18. Their picnic area was called the "PAR TEE Area". I so wanted to blog that, but the camera did not cooperate.

To end the outing, Wendy's gave us our Picnic Food:

Gotta love those Frostys!

Some Favorite Pics

My friend and I organized a craft night in our ward just for fun! And this is what we made. If you can't tell, it is vinyl lettering on a tile and it has President Hinckley's 9 BE's around the outside (Grateful * Smart * Involved * Clean * True * Positive * Humble *Still * Prayerful) It was my first experience doing anything like this so sometimes it felt like sheer chaosis (I take my hat off to all you Enrichment Leaders out there!) But in the end, we had a lot of fun and the projects turned out great. Now the other ward wants to make them too, so I'm not done yet!

My daughter is TONS braver than I am or ever was. It was Spirit week at school and for the "Team Logo" day, we painted her face with BYU as you can see! She went around like that ALL day never washing it off. I have to say I was very impressed. I never had the guts to do that in middle school. She has a wonderfully strong spirit which will serve her well in life.

This was one of my Mothers Day presents. I have wanted this picture for a long time and my DH got it for me for this day. It is my all-time favorite picture of the Savior. It was a complete surprise because I had no idea. Underneath it is the scripture in Joshua that reads "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Vinyl, of course. There's no way I could paint that.) I love it so much. I feel the Spirit everytime I look at it.

This is a very favorite pic. Just taken today! Our newest child is now 3 1/2 months old. She is starting to smile more and coo and laugh. It is very very fun. I have always loved this stage of life, from now until when they start walking (and running) is just a lot of fun. They take such pleasure in just being talk to. I love it.

Just some favorite pics to share with y'all!

"Because I am a Girl"

Oh the funny things that kids say...........................

Grace, who is 4, is especially nimble with the words. It is hysterical what she comes up with sometimes.

For months now, she has been saying "forgot" backwards. Even though she has a huge vocabulary and likes to talk nonstop, she can't get the concept of "forgot". So all day it is "Mom you got-for my snack", "Mom we got-for to play the game", "Mom I got-for my doll" etc. etc. It is grammatically hideous, but so very cute. I try to correct her, but it is also makes me smile.

She says other things that make me smile. The other day she told me that she didn't want to be a doctor when she grew up anymore. She wants to be a horserider. So we went driving to look at horses. But she was not entertained. Anytime I would point a horse out, she would say "No Mom, not that one. I have already picked my horse out." Who knows where it resides.

But the other day she took the cake. I was taking her brother to the doctor for a checkup. The subject came up about shots. She told her brother "You're going to have to get shots, Ethan!" He answered back, "so do you!" To which she retorted, "No you have to get shots because you are a boy. I don't have to get shots because I am a girl."

Who knew life could be explained so easily?

Two Thumbs Up!

I wasn't very excited to see this movie. I mean, the commercials look wierd, right? Tall, skinny villan, large dinosaur, strange lady with caffeine patches, etc.... My kids were very excited though so we gave in and took them on Monday night (Easy FHE). About halfway through, I was thinking, "I can't believe we paid $36 for this, it is so wierd."

But by the end, I loved it! It has the greatest moral to come out of a Disney movie for a long time. That you life is never as bad as you think it is. That you control your own destiny. That there is always daylight at the end of the tunnel. That failures will lead to success if you "keep moving forward."

I highly recommend this movie. Every child (and adult) should see it and remember:

“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” - Walt Disney

Why I Can't Do Daycare

I must admit that I think about running a daycare about once a month. I mean, it seems like the perfect solution to our financial difficulties.

I don't enjoy going to work. I never have. I would much rather be at home with my children than out on the job. That is why I got a Psychology degree in college. I mean, what better degree to have to help my children succeed in life! I was never actually going to have to use it. Or so I thought...................

We have tried to have me stay at home full time and eventually we need more money and our credit cards soar. We are unable to do both things at once: 1. Mom stays at home and 2. Stay out of debt. So eventually I would go back to work thinking "if only there was some way to run a business at home". Well, there is the most obvious way -- daycare.

I tried to do daycare early on it our marriage. I watched two little boys for a friend of my husband's while he was in graduate school. Even though it was part time, I was stressed out and frazzled most of the time. I dreaded the days they came over and began to resent having them there. And if they did anything toward my child, watch out! The mother bear in me came out and I had to be careful not to literally growl. Not good qualities for a child care provider.

My husband encouraged me to quit which I did and not do it again.

I didn't listen. I tried it again 3 years later when I was home with our children and he was getting his teaching certificate. This one should have been easy because it was a friend of my 5 year old who came out everyday before kindergarten and then went to school with her. I mean, how hard is that? Sounds simple, right? Not for me. Same feelings came into play and I have to admit, at times I wasn't very nice. This time it was better because the girl was older, but I still resented the fact I was tied to being home every day.

Fast forward to present day: I have been on maternity leave for 10 weeks now and am set to go back to work on Sunday night. And let's fact it -- I am not looking forward to it. I love my time at home with my children, and I dread going back to being tired all of the time. My friend who watches my kids has been encouraging me to do daycare which I have been halfway considering, despite my history.

So Tuesday and Wednesday, I took over for her (she had a class to go to) and watched one of her daycare kids who is this adorable 2 year old. At the beginning of the day, I'm thinking "yeah, I could do this. No problem" But by the end of the day, I knew there was no way. I was exhausted!!! It took all my strength not to crawl into bed at 7:30 p.m. She was so cute, but she wore me out. She is very active and constantly on the go. On Tuesday she climbed out of her play crib after her nap destroyed my eldest daughters' room. On Wednesday she fell off the top bunk of the bunk bed onto the bottom bunk (luckily) but then bounced into the dresser. (Miraculously she was OK.) She took naps no longer than 90 minutes both days and she loved to be outside which required me to be out there with her. My 4 year old was tolerant, but by the end of the day had enough and became whiny and tearful, adding to the mayhem. I swore I heard the "Hallelujah Chorus" when her mother showed up at the door.

Yes, this was definitely a lesson to me that I am not cut out for daycare. The sad part is that it doesn't pay enough. To make the money we need, I would have to watch three kids, FULL-TIME! That I'm sure would drive me batty. No, I'm afraid I'm not daycare material which means I have to return to work. Maybe if I would have chosen a different degree, learned to budget earlier, had less kids, I wouldn't have to work. But since I can't go back in time, I can't change any of that. I'll just have to grin and bear it. After all, there are worse things in life than working, right?

I could be doing daycare.

My New Hobbies

Sorry the last post was so short. (I had to start back slowly) That was what Aubrey looked like 2 1/2 months ago when she was brand new on this earth. This is how she looks today:

She is certainly my most favorite new hobby although she is also the most time-consuming. I feel like I cater to her 24/7 which is fine by me because she is so adorable. So far I have been on maternity leave from my job which is fine by me! I love being home with her and all my other children. Next Sunday, I return to working 3-4 nights a week and I have no idea how it will work out. I hoping it doesn't drive me or my husband crazy! I would love not to return to work at all, but unfortunately it is a financial necessity. Maybe in my next life, I will be rich!

My other new hobby is home renovation. My husband and I are striving to fix up our home so we can sell it this summer/fall. The house has become a little cramped at 3 bedrooms for 7 bodies so we are hoping to sell it and buy something larger. But that requires lots of changes. So far we started on the living room and have now moved to the dining room. I thought I would show off some of our progress:

Old Living Room:

New Living Room (note new trim and paint job):

Old Dining Room (with yucky flowered wallpaper):

New one in progress (not finished yet, but wallpaper gone!):

Not bad for the month of April, eh? And I owe a huge part of this to my hubby for he is the work-horse behind it all.

After the dining room, it is on to getting rid of the 1950's kitchen, blue countertops and all.

I can't wait!

What I've Been Up To

Is this a good reason for not blogging? I know I can't make many excuses, but maybe this one will fly. She certainly has me hoppin'!

Getting the Christmas Spirit

I love the Christmas season. It is definitely my favorite time of year. Yet every year it goes by faster than the month before. December seems to fly by and I am left with a pile of wrapping paper and worn-out, sugar-filled children. Every year I start out with a list of many things I want to do: bake, serve others, decorate the house, entertain the kids, watch every holiday movie I love, give of myself. And by the end of the month if I manage to accomplish those things, I feel worn out and wasted away, wondering how it all could go by so fast.

Not this year.

This year I am vowing to do things a little differently.

This year I vow to focus on the true meaning of Christmas and spend each day thinking about the Saviour.

I vow to slow down and not rush and simplify the holiday traditions.

I vow to enjoy my children instead of wish they were back in school. And help them remember the gift of the Saviour instead of the gifts from Santa.

I vow to give up holiday baking, unnecessary Christmas cards to people I never hear from, and taking back gifts because I've found something better.

I vow to get my children one fun gift a piece and not go over board buying presents that they play with for one day and ends up under their beds.

I vow to follow Elder Ballard's advice as told so eloquently by Dean Hughes in the Deseret Book Devotional. I vow to read this talk often to remind myself of the cause and urge you to do the same.

I vow to reach December 26th calmly, rationally and closer to the Saviour than I am today.

A Crazy Couple of Days

I have had a crazy couple of days. It all started on Friday when we left to drive to Idaho for my father's wedding. We were driving along comfortably and right on schedule I might add, when we heard a thump and a bump and a bump-bump-bump-bump-bump-bump-bump-bump-bump-bump-bump-bump-bump-bump-bump. My husband pulled the car to the side of the freeway and this is what we saw:

Yes, it was a blown-out tire, the first one of my entire life. Luckily, we had a spare on the car, but tire was on the driver's side, right by the speeding cars rushing past my DH as he tried to get the useless tire off and the spare on. Most cars were courteous and moved to the left lane as they went past, but one motorhome pulling a speedboat came so close, I thought I was going to be a widow for sure! (We later saw it pulled over by highway patrol -- Aw, sweet justice!) We did make it to our destination that night and $55 later, we had a new tire.

The next day was my father's wedding. It was beautiful yet emotional at the same time. He married a wonderful lady who seems kind and generous and in love with him. But it is strange to have him married to someone else besides your mother. (Anyone who has been though this can attest to the dual feelings!) Still it was a beautiful day and they were very happy.

We got to stay for dinner and then had to hop in the car and drive home again because Sunday was the Primary Program. If I were anything BUT the president, I could've skipped it. But since I had one counselor gone and the others had never done a program before, I felt I had to rush home. So we traveled the six hours back home again, with me in the van with 3 children, and my DH driving my father's red sports car alone with one child. Luckily the kids with me were good otherwise we may not have made it back alive!

The program on Sunday went well despite a couple of surprises (aren't there always?????) By the end of church I was exhausted but happy to have to over with for another year. Sunday and Monday nights I had to work which made Monday and Tuesday go by very fast so it felt like we went right from the program into....................................

Halloween!!

Yes, we have one spider witch, one Sleeping Beauty, one knight (with a sword and one Dora the Explorer. I even made the backpack although you can't see it in the picture. It was a very fun night. I even dressed up although I couldn't get my DH to go nerdy with me!

He had to go as the dashing Indiana Jones. I think he looks a little embarrassed to be seen with me, what do you think????????

Anywho, it is November and I am exhausted and I can't even think about what is around the corner. Maybe I can just go into hibernation for a couple of months.