Great Quote

I came across this great quote today and it really hit home for me in so many areas. Ezra Taft Benson once said
"When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power."
I love that quote and I believe it to be so true. I have also found that if you substitute obedience with just about anything (financial stability, weight loss, etc, etc) it still works. Love it!!

Lexi is so CUTE

Me: Lexi you are so cute!
Lexi: Mom, I know you love me.
Me: I do love you Lex, but how do you know I love you?
Lexi: Because my heart said so.

Sure do love that kid!!

So I am posting anyway

I have put off posting too long. I was wanting to post pictures with the last few posts I had written before posting but haven't been able to find the cord to the camera to download them. (I honestly haven't looked that hard for it, I have been busy). So I am posting them without pictures. Hopefully soon I will post a whole bunch of pictures.

First Day of School

Yesterday was the first day of school. The kids have been looking forward to this for a couple of weeks now. They were getting bored of summer, it is so stinkin' hot here you can't play outside so they tend to go stir crazy after a while. Not to mention that they have been fighting like crazy the last week they really need a break from each other!!

Evan is starting third grade this year and Hannah begins Kindergarten and is so excited. We went to meet their teachers the night before. Hannah is in Miss Miller's class. That is the same teacher Evan had. Hannah is such an independent social little girl that she will do fine no matter where she is. Evan is in Mrs. Tattersall's class. I requested her for him because she is supposed to be good with wiggly boys. Evan is a great kid but can be wiggly for sure, especially when he gets bored. Mrs. Tattersall has five sons of her own and knows about wiggly boys. She is also supposed to be great at helping kids that need extra things to keep them busy. Evan is a very smart boy and gets bored after he quickly masters a concept. With all of that she also expects a lot out of them and doesn't accept sloppiness ( also a great thing for Evan). We are hoping it will be a great year for him. At the same time she is fun, fun, fun. He came home from the first day so excited because he said Mrs. Tattersall is so funny and she is his favorite teacher ever. Hannah came home so excited because she played with some new friends and could she please invite them over to play. I am glad the day ended so good for both of them because it sure started out a little hairy.

I have to post about the rough morning we had so I can look back and laugh even though at the time it was very frustrating. So here it goes.

The kids were up at 6:30 (this is early for my kids) dressed, shoes on and ready to eat. This should have been plenty of time to be on time to school. At meet the teacher the night before they were each given a little assignment to bring on the first day. Hannah did hers quickly and had it all packed in the backpack ready to go. Evan did the writing part but was supposed to draw a picture of his family to go with it. I asked Evan to do his picture while I was getting breakfast and packing lunches. He whined about how he isn't good at drawing and could I please help him. I wasn't sure how to help with this and not actually do it for him. I tried to tell him to do his best and not worry about it. Ya well nothing worked. They had breakfast hair got done, teeth were brushed, and morning chore was done. Hannah was ready to go with plenty of time to spare. Evan was still whining about the picture. At this point he was just refusing to do it. It was now time to go and he is in tears over this silly picture. I couldn't calm him down or make him happy ( Evan gets really angry when he is frustrated with something). So now I tell him we have to go right now or we will be late. Now he is throwing a big fit. I don't want Hannah to be late so I tell him he has two choices come with me right now with it not finished or stay home finish the picture and I will come back and get him later (I didn't know what else to do). He wouldn't choose so I started leaving. He chases us down the street crying and screaming. I gave him the two choices again. He didn't answer so I left. He ran back home crying. I got Hannah to school but had to walk her to class as she was a little late and her class was already in. She was such a trooper, went right in with a smile on her face and never once complained about Evan making her late. I didn't even have time to get sad with all the commotion I knew I was going back home to. Her first day of school picture shows her excited little face with not an ounce of being nervous.

I get back home and Evan is sitting on the stairs with the mad face on. I asked if he was ready to go and he said "no I didn't even do my picture". Now I am just mad so I went outside to cool off (well mentally anyway, it was like 95 already). Then I thought I needed a picture to document this, so I went in and took a picture, that made him more mad and I got a crayon thrown at me. It really is best to leave him alone when angry and I decided to let the crayon throwing slide this time. He finally finished so I told him to get in the car and I would drive him to school. I load the two little kids and he climbs in much more composed but upset because he isn't happy with his picture. I told him everyone has different things they are good at and not to worry about it. Then he starts in asking what I am going to write on the tardy slip as to why he is late (he is about 25min late). I said "I don't know, mental breakdown" That didn't help either, he said "no don't you dare write that" I said "then what would you call it." He wouldn't answer. Lucky for him being the first day of school we didn't have to fill in a tardy slip. I walk him to class told him I loved him and to have a great day. His class wasn't there so then we had to find them. They ended up being in the library. He finally made it to class and I took the two little ones home and gave a big sigh of relief.

The best part is when he got home he said when Mrs. Tattersall was showing the class the pictures and reading the poems they had written. She said that she is a terrible artist and can only draw stick figures. That made him feel better.

Happy first day of School!!

Hello Again

I know it has been forever since I posted. I blame it on sheer busy life. I just haven't made blogging a priority in recent months. But we are still alive and well. The kids continue to keep me busy and work keeps Chad busy. I stay busy running kids around, playing with them and keeping up with house chores. I have been busy in recent months canning and baking. I have found a new love for canning my own meats, beans, jams and whatever else I feel so inclined to try. I also have committed myself to making all of our bread, so needless to say I bake bread weekly. I am adding some pictures of things we have done in recent months from preschool programs, to graduation. Lexi and Brock's Birthdays, lake trips, cabin trips, fishing trips. Kids dressed up for a wedding and gymnastics pictures. Enjoy!!

Christmas Update

Well I guess I should update. We had a busy last couple of months just like everyone else. We had a great Thanksgiving which we spent at the cabin with Chad's family. Christmas was great (stressful as usual). We kind of had a quiet Christmas morning at home with just the kids. It was the first year Evan finally got up early, I think it was around 6am. He made sure to wake up his sisters and Lexi was not so sure she liked being woken up, ( for those who know Lexi you know how grouchy she can be) but she seemed fine once she realized Santa had indeed brought presents. Brock slept through the whole thing, by the time he got up everything was already opened and the kids were busy playing. He didn't seem to care sleep is much more important than presents when you are 8 months old. As for the other kids they all seemed happy with their loot.

After Christmas dinner with my family we headed up to the cabin for Christmas morning number two. Thats right, this year all of Chad's family went to the cabin on Christmas Day night so we could have another Christmas morning all together. It was fun. I think the best part is that there was snow on the ground and the kids all had so much fun playing in it. Anyway, that is a little about our Christmas even if it is a little late.

The Joys of Potty Training

Okay so I know I havn't posted in a while and I should update on the holidays and all but I am not going to. At least not right now. I am just venting mostly. I decided to potty train Lexi this week and like so many times before, Monday morning she woke up with a cold but I decided to start the process anyway because it seems all the other times I was going to do it something came up that changed my mind. So Monday was a typical first day of potty training kind of a day. Tuesday she did okay she seemed to be getting it. Wednesday she did awesome only had one accident all day. I thought "awesome we are really getting it." Keep in mind she hasn't felt great all week either. So yesterday she was so grouchy (and now Brock is sick also and I was up all night with him so he and I are grouchy too) she wouldn't even sit on the potty. If I even tried she screamed. So needless to say yesterday she had accidents all day never once went in the potty. Last night she wet the bed three times (this is the girl who has woken up dry for months) and I was up with Brock again). So this morning she woke up all wet and I say to myself what the heck do I do. Oh how badly I want to throw in the towel and say forget it just wear diapers the rest of your life. I think part of this has to do with the fact that she is not feeling great, Brock is sick and I am sleep deprived. I never liked potty training but potty training mixed with sick kids just really sucks.

Halloween 2009

This year for Halloween I decided to try my hand at making a couple of costumes. Evan decided he wanted to be a robot, Hannah wanted to be a skeleton (we had a costume for that already), Lexi decided to be a monkey. So I made a robot and a monkey costume. Brock was going to have a costume but I never got around to it so maybe next year he will dress up. So we went to Evan's school festival and Hannah won the scariest costume award for her costume age group and Evan won the most original in his age group. Lexi wouldn't dress up and even on halloween night I had to bribe her to get her to wear her costume (this is why I didn't spend a whole lot of time making her costume). She finally wore it long enough to go to about 8 houses and then she was done. Enjoy the pictures.

Evan is Seven

So this is a bit late. But Evan had his birthday and is now officially seven years old. His birthday is the 10th of October which was during fall break so he had to wait for two weeks to have his party to ensure that people would be in town. He had his party at the gym and I think everyone had a great time.

Evan is growing up so fast it seems like just yesterday that I found out I was pregnant with him. He is a fun kid to have in our family. He is full of endless energy which sometimes I wish I could tone down but daddy often reminds me that energy isn't bad it just has to be guided in the right direction. He is so good to his little sisters and brother. Hannah often says she loves Evan because when she is sad he always does funny things to make her laugh. It is true he can make all his siblings laugh when they are sad and truly turns their frowns to a smile. What a great ability that is. He is a great student, he is such a smart kid and I am so proud of how well he does in school. I love that he has been blessed with the great ability to gain knowledge he loves to learn new things, I hope he never loses that desire. Evan is an all around great kid, and I am so proud to have him as my son. Happy Birthday buddy!!

AHHHH I MIGHT GO CRAZY

So here it is, this is a report of what has been going on at our house. Well I believe that the flu has hit our house. My kids have passed and are still passing around this awful flu. They have had really high fevers, coughs, sore throats and ear infections. Hannah hasn't been to school in a week and Evan just came down with it yesterday so he has been home for two days and who knows how much longer. Lexi I believe is done with it except to finish off her medicine for the ear infection. This just won't go away it lasts for at least 7 days for each kid. Brock has a stuffy nose but no fever and hopefully it will stay that way because the other kids have had fevers that were as high as 105 degrees. I am getting really tired of sick kids and feeling like I am a prisoner in my own house. I keep praying that it will go away soon, but I am feeling really blessed that there is no puke involved because if that were the case I think I would be completely crazy.
Not only are the kids all sick, the camera is broken, Chad's truck battery died and our refrigerator freezes everything. Let's just say that it has been a very trying week for me. Hopefully they can fix the fridge today when they come out so that we don't have to defrost everything. I have the fridge set all the way to almost zero on the temperature gage and even the gallon of milk is frozen.
Well I thought I would vent about how my last couple of weeks has been. But on a more positive side at least the kids aren't throwing up and at least the fridge is cold so that I don't have to try to save food in ice chests. Things are sure to get better soon!!

He Can Roll Over

It is official Brock can roll over. I cannot believe how fast the time flies. Brock will be 5 months old next week and he is such a happy cute little guy. His smile just makes my day. So a couple of weeks ago I couldn't get Brock to nap during the day for more than about 30 minutes and then I would hold him on my chest and he would go back to sleep so I knew he was obviously still tired. So I decided maybe he would actually sleep in his bed if I let him sleep on his tummy, and sure enough I had my great napping baby back. Well about 3 days ago this new stage started. I would put Brock down for a nap on his tummy and when he would wake up I would go to get him and find him on his back. So I obviously think, cool he can roll over. In the last 3 days I have tried to get him to roll over so I could see and he would only get really mad while being made to lay on his tummy. Until today he finally rolled over for me, from his tummy to his back. I have witnessed it several times today. Now we are moving on to a new problem because he doesn't like to sleep on his back and I put him down for his nap on his tummy and he sleeps for about 45 minutes rolls over and won't go back to sleep. I guess the rolling over is a great accomplishment and a curse all in one. Oh well this too shall pass as all the baby sleeping problems do. Seems I solved one problem only to create another, that is the life with an ever changing baby!!

Delight in your Children

Some days I just delight in the fact that I am a mother. Although sometimes it is hard to find days you feel that way. I feel like I should share on this particular day. The day started with me a little tired and unsure how my attitude would be (some times those are the worst days) but I got Evan up and he was in good spirits. We ate breakfast together while all the other kids were asleep. We had a nice chat about his friends and what he has enjoyed so far this school year. He even practiced his spelling words without complaining. Then when I picked him up from school he had a huge smile on his face and said he had a great day. He doesn't often go into details, so I didn't push. He did tell me how at recess some of his friends and himself destroyed some ant hills. It must have been fun with the enthusiasm he spoke with. That boy can certainly light up a room with his smile when he is excited and that face makes my day a little brighter.
Lexi was a little tried from our swimming day yesterday so she wasn't as silly as usual. She decided that her "geenkey" (or blanket as we call it) needed a bath today. So I took her up on the offer and washed it. How excited her sweet little face was when it came out of the dryer, I love how something so simple can make her so happy.
Brock and I had some time to play just me and him today while Lexi slept and the others were at school. He is so dang cute. He has a super contagious laugh that makes you want to keep tickling him so he will laugh some more.
Hannah had a little project she had to do this morning so she could take it to school, she was so cute cutting and pasting and decorating. When she got home from school she told me all about it and how much fun she had with her friends. Her face just lit up telling me all about how fun recess was with the new friends she has. She told me about the silly book Miss Ranelle read to them, and how they practiced their letter sounds with a funny song. Her blue eyes were full of wonder and life. There is nothing better in a mother's life than to see her children happy and excited. I am so lucky to have four great kids. I am thankful for days that I stop and see the joy in all of their lives. Children are so full of love and life I only wish I was more like that. Today is a great day to be a mom!!

First Day of School

Today is Hannah's first day of school. She is in preschool and was very excited. She is my social butterfly and I think she will enjoy the social aspect of school more than the school work. But who knows, maybe she will really surprise me. We are doing a carpool with two other kids in her class who we don't know very well but Hannah hopped into the car with the other kids and left with a smile on her face. I sure hope she has a great first day. Poor Lexi, before we even got the front door closed after loading Hannah up she said "I miss Hannah". The good thing for Lexi's sake is that Hannah goes to school in the afternoon when Lex is napping so they will still have the morning to play. Wow I can't believe how fast they grow up!!

I can't believe that my Evan is in 2nd Grade already. Where did the time go. Even though Evan actually started school a couple of weeks ago I wanted to document it. For those of you who know Evan and know how much energy he has might be surprised that he is actually a little shy when it comes to new things. He was a little nervous on the first day of school so I had to drag Hannah, Lexi and Brock into his school and to his classroom to drop him off the first day. Of course by day 3 he was good to go. He seems to like school for the most part, he just wishes that more of his friends from last year were in his class this year. I just keep reminding him that it will give him an opportunity to make new friends. I am proud of Evan and know that he will do well this year!!

Happy 10th Anniversary

Today is our tenth wedding anniversary. I can not believe how fast the time has flown by. It seems like just yesterday that we just got married. But four kids later here we are. I really am very lucky to have such a wonderful husband who loves me and our children. He is a blessing in my life and I don't know what I would do without him. Here is to a great past ten years and many many more to come!! And to all those skeptics out there we were even married on Friday the 13th!!

Can you guess who is who

So Chad and I were discussing how much our kids resemble each other, especially as infants. So I decided to post a newborn picture of each of our kids. Can you guess who is who??

Brock's Blessing

Sunday we blessed Brock and once again I am a slacker and forgot to take the camera to get pictures of everyone all dressed up with the baby. My sister in law did get a few thank goodness. Lexi was sick so I brought her and Brock home after sacrament meeting and only got pictures of Brock before everyone else got home.

I am so gratefull to have a husband who holds the priesthood and gives our children such wonderful blessings. What a joy it is to listen to such a sweet blessing that is given to your child by their father. I am so grateful to have Brock in our family he is such a good baby. He hardly cries, sleeps good and gives lots of smiles, it doesn't get much better than that.

Cabin Fun

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the last many times we have been to the cabin. For some reason I think the last 10 times we have been to the cabin I have forgotten the camera. The kids love going to the cabin, the weather is cooler (who doesn't love that) and they enjoy riding quads, fishing and just hanging out. Chad's work schedule allows him a four day weekend every other week so we are at the cabin a lot especially when school is out. Last weekend when we were there Hannah asked "could we please move here?" I said that would be fun but what would daddy do for work, it is too long of a drive. She said he could cut down trees and make stuff with the wood and then sell it for his job. Kids always come up with clever ideas. Hopefully I will remember the camera next time to document the fun.

Summer Beach House Fun

So it has been awhile since I have updated so I will try to give a rundown of what we have been up to. In June we went to a beach house in San Diego for a week. The kids had a blast playing with their cousins and of course digging in the sand. They really enjoyed being buried in the sand. Hannah would be at the beach for less than a minute and be completely covered in sand literally from head to toe. Lexi liked being buried the most and Evan enjoyed playing in the water and finding shells and sand dollars. Brock mostly stayed in the beach house it was pretty cold and windy the week we were there.

Wrestle Mania

Here is a video of the kids playing. It is times likes these that make me wonder why we buy toys.

What fun!!

The memories of my own childhood came rushing back when the kids wanted to play in the sprinklers. I can recall the days as a kid with no worries and stresses when my siblings and I used to play in the sprinklers. Oh how fun something so simple can be. The kids asked daddy to turn on the sprinklers and the girls spent most of the time on the sideline because it was too cold. Evan however was ready to pose for the camera in a bunch of crazy light saber fighting poses. Mostly they just had a great time laughing and giggling the way I used to as a kid. It sure is fun to watch them play and use their imaginations.