CRAZY EIGHTS

Just getting it off my chest

2011-12-15T12:16:00.001-07:00

I'm not excited about my new primary calling-nursery. It isn't that I don't like the nursery, I've had this calling 4 times before. My biggest problem is that in the 20+ years I've had callings, I've been in primary most of the time. I can count on one hand the callings that I've had outside of primary. All of my calling-except for primary chorister,cubs and activity days- have been with the 18 month to 4 year olds. I pretty much have most of the lessons memorized. It would be nice to have something new. I loved activity days with the older girls and was sad when I was released from it.
When Loren found out I was going back into nursery, he was upset. He said ,"I just don't get it. I sit in Sunday School year after year by myself and wonder how these other couples get so lucky to be together. Why do they always put you right back in primary?" Honestly, I wish I had a good answer for him besides the fact that it's hard to fill primary callings and they know I'll do it.
I'm sure that my feelings will change once I've been there for a while. Right now, though, I'm not jumping for joy!!!
Alright, I'm done.

December is here

2011-12-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

And I am way behind on posting. I will start from the present and go back...

Paige and Braden preformed in a Christmas Choir performance last night. They both did great.
Zach performed for choir last week and did great as well. Zach also has a band performance this week.
We have a very busy schedule this December between, work, school and church parties.

Hope had a doctors appointment on Monday because of a cold that just won't leave. 45 minutes before the appointment she swallowed a dime and got got in her throat. She turned red, i hit her on the back she started to breathe, threw up a little, went red again, repeated process about 4 times. Thank goodness Loren had the day off and was there to help. We put her in the car to head to the ER and decided to stop at the doctors office instead because she was breathing okay by then. The doctor checked her out and gave her an antibiotic to clear up a sinus infection and ordered us to the hospital for x-rays to make sure the dime was in her stomach and not stuck in her throat. The dime showed up nice and bright on the x-ray-in her stomach.
I don't think she will eat money again.

I am trying to get caught up on house work and Christmas shopping, after having a horrible sinus infection for more than 7 weeks. I was on 2 kinds of antibiotics and then on a weeks worth of oral steroids. Each helped some but didn't clear it up altogether. So the doctor ordered a CT scan. Infection is gone but my sinuses are very swollen. They don't want to give me more steroids, I just have to wait it out. I feel a little better every day.

We hosted Thanksgiving this year. Mom told me that no one was coming to her house because they all had other plans. So we invited her and Dad, Rob and Chris to our house. It was a fun,small get together.
We didn't have as much food as when we all get together but between mom and me, we had plenty. No one starved.

Halloween was fun. Paige threw a party for her friends and dressed as a Diva Angel. Both Ethan and Parker dressed as ninja's. Hope was a cute little witch. Paige took Hope out trick or treating. Hope thought it was the greatest thing ever. She started taking candy out of our candy bowl and putting it in her bag. You can't have to much, you know.

Hope is 2! We had a family party for her and ate corn dogs and fries. We then went to Trafalga for games and rides. Hope loves the carousal and plane ride. She also likes to miniature golf. I can't believe how fast time has gone by. It seems only a short time a go that we brought her home.

I will post picture's later.

Eight is Great!

2011-09-09T14:53:00.000-06:00

Just ask Parker, he will tell you. He loved to have a party with some friends on Friday. Although, he was very excited about being baptized on Saturday.

Braden was able to baptize Parker. Loren had mixed emotions about letting him do it. He then decide that it would be a good experience for both boys.

Loren confirmed him. It was a small service because Parker was the only one in the ward being baptized. We were able to choose who spoke, played the piano, songs and prayers.

I'm sure parker will remember this day for years to come.

Thanks to all who came to support us.

Hurray! Hope is potty trained (mostly)

2011-08-25T18:09:00.000-06:00

Okay, so we started potty training a few months ago and it only lasted about 1 1/2 weeks. She was doing pretty well and then I guess the excitement wore off and she didn't care.
So I decided to wait for all of the vacations and camping to get over before I tried again.
We started Tuesday when the kids went back to school. She made it to the potty about as many times as she had accidents. Wednesday, she only had 1 accident. She even told me when she needed to go.
Today, she woke up, told me potty-she went- and then asked for panties. She doesn't like pull ups. I don't know why. I make her sleep in them just in case she doesn' t. make it through the night. She usually makes it through the night but I don't want to take chances.
She hasn't had any accidents and even went number two.
She has been the easiest of all of my children.

Way to go Hope!!!

Paige made it through girls camp

2011-08-10T15:13:00.001-06:00

This is a long time in coming. Girls camp was in June!!
Paige is a fourth year and they went on a 10 mile back pack hike. We tried to make her pack as light as possible but still have all of the essentials.They ran into snow where they were supposed to set up camp and so they had to hike farther to get out of it. She said that she didn't think that she would make it, she was exhausted. She made it through. And I'm sure it will be a great memory for her in the future.
She loved the rest of girls camp and was glad to be home after a long 5 days.

Hope rides a trike

2011-08-10T15:00:00.000-06:00

We pulled the trike out of the shed and shoed Hope how to make it work. Of course she doesn't pedal yet, just pushes with her feet. She learned how to steer quicker than I thought she would. She love riding down the street but coming back up is hard. She will go about 200 feet and them climb off, point to the bike and say,"mom" and head back to the house to wait for me and the bike to catch up so she can do it again.

Summer fun

2011-08-10T14:55:00.000-06:00

These are fun drinks that I make for the 24th of July

We got together with family for a BBQ and fire works---in the rain. But it was still a blast.

Hope actually held a sparkler.

My niece Kristi, sitting on the ground, just got into Allen. The guy sitting next to her.

Grandma, trying to stay dry.

We spent 3 days camping at Strawberry reservoir. The kids were so excited to go fishing that they couldn't wait, so we rented a boat in the heat of the day and went fishing. Loren caught one.
We watched squirrels, chipmunks, and ground squirrels play around our camp ground. Hope feed them crackers.
One night we fished from shore and Parker and Ethan found that if they just dropped the end of their pole into the water, crawfish would climb on to them. We caught dozens of those. However, we don't eat them so they went right back into the lake.

New family photo's

2011-08-01T19:27:00.001-06:00

We finally had new family photo's taken last month. The poor photographer had to keep rescheduling because the weather was horrible. It never failed, we would set a date and it would rain. We finally set it for the next day--it was supposed to be sunny---It rained. We sat as the rain drizzled on us and smiled. Luckily, you can't tell in the pictures.

Summer catch up

2011-08-01T18:55:00.000-06:00

We celebrated my parents 50th Anniversary at Mill Hollow. My father worked there during the summer for many years. I believe that all of my siblings including myself spent a week or more there while growing up.

The grand and great grand kids.

Deer in the meadows

Party for Mom and Dad

The stream that is normally low and shallow

Mom and Dad

Hiking

Dad telling us about the trees and how the grow

Me, Braden and Chris

It was fun getting together with the whole family. We hiked, played games, roasted marsh mellows, had had a party for the happy couple.

Adventures in the rain

2011-07-03T11:41:00.000-06:00

Wednesday we decided to hit Raging Waters. We left after lunch. It was bright and sunny on our side of the mountain but as we rounded the point of the mountain there where all kinds of rain clouds. It wasn't raining yet, so we keep on driving. The whole time I was praying that it would just be cloudy so we could swim when we got there.
We were about 3 minutes from where we needed to be when we encountered a train stopped on the train tracks and no where for us to go. We finally turned around to find another route to our destination. It start to pour on us, not little drops, huge drops blowing sideways, hard enough that it was difficult to see. Then it started to Hail, yes hail, and then came the lightening. I asked how many wanted to still go swimming. Most replied, "ME". So on we went.
When we finally arrived an Raging Waters, the were kicking everyone out, I went to the desk to find out if they were closing. Yup, for 20 to 30 minutes to see if the lighting would leave. We decided to hag around and see what happened. The sun came out and we were able to swim. The wind would pick up every now and again but it was warm. After 2 1/2 of play it started raining again so we decided it was time to make our way home. We were all worn out and had a great time.
No pictures because aI didn't want to rent a locker just for my camera or phone.

Wacky Wednesday

2011-06-23T12:03:00.000-06:00

Our ward has what they call Wacky Wednesday during the summer. Every Wednesday they get together at 10 a.m. and go somewhere fun.
We finally made it to one this summer. It was at Discovery Park in Pleasant Grove. We have never been there before. Perhaps it's because we have many fun parks nearer to us.
We got there late because Zach doesn't get out of summer school until 11:00. Sadly we only ran into 2 other families from the ward. I later found out the because the numbers were so small at the caravan meet, that they decided to go somewhere else. Oh well, we still had a blast.

Summer fun

2011-06-16T16:08:00.000-06:00

Hope wears herself out and then falls asleep in the swing, almost every time we go out.

The pictures say it all...

Hail in May.

2011-06-16T16:01:00.000-06:00

What crazy weather we are having this year. I think we went from winter to summer.

The white stuff on the bottom of the slide is hail. It piled up so much that part of it slide off into the wood chips
Here is a pic of it hailing and raining. It hail so much it covered the lawn and turned it white. Hope called it snow. I was worried that my tomato plants(planted the day before, after mother's day) would die. But happily they lived.

Zach's 13th Birthday

2011-06-16T15:54:00.002-06:00

We now have 3, yes 3, teenagers in our house. Zach turned 13 on May 20th ( yes, I'm behind).

He wanted to go to Texas road house for dinner. Loren has pic's of him on his phone I'll have to post when I can snag it. Zach ordered a whole rack of ribs. No, he didn't finish it. But he had fun trying.
We then went home and had cake and ice cream. Happy Birthday, son.

Ethan's Birthday

2011-06-02T12:16:00.000-06:00

K, so I am just a little behind!

Our sweet Ethan turned 10 on May 4th. Loren's parents came in town to celebrate with us.Ethan invited friends to a Belade party. Around Ester I found bey blades on sale for $4.oo. They are normally $8, so I snagged a lot of them. This worked out great for the party.

We played games that had 1 winner.

frozen t-shirt game

coloring contest

flip marbles into bowls

blowing bubbles with frozen gum

When they won they got to pick a surprise from the bag-all bey blades. At the end of the party they had a bey blade tournament with 2 stadiums. The boys had a blast.

Ethan thinks one of the best gifts was from his grand parents (E's). The gave him a small fold up stadium that he took to school with him everyday, in his backpack.

He and some friends play bey blades at recess.

re doing my dinning chairs and table

2011-05-11T14:40:00.000-06:00

We have had these for about 12 years and they were in need of some attention.

The one one the left has been redone, the one on the right is still waiting it's turn

The sad thing is that I bought the stain 5 years ago. I finally to around to doing it. Okay, it is really still a work in progress. I stained the table and 3 chairs and still have 3 more to do. I also stained the bar stools while I was at it.

Loren's parents came in to town so I stopped because we needed all of the chairs to sit on while they were here. Now, I'm waiting for a sunny day to complete the rest. When that is done, they all need a good coat of lacker so They will stay pretty for many more years to come.

Easter

2011-05-11T11:06:00.001-06:00

For Easter we had our own family egg hunt in the back yard. The rest of the relatives had other things happening. Hope went out with her basket and found a candy for each hand. That's all she needed. Paige showed her that she could put the candy in her basket and pick up more. Hope would pull her basket along on the ground behind her and lose most of what was in it. Parker and Ethan had fun finding the plastic eggs filled with candy that Braden, Paige and Zach had hidden.

Later that day we colored eggs. The kids had a great time. Zach decided to leave an egg in the coloring over night to see what color it would be. Same colors as it was after a few minutes, but the shell was very soft.

For Easter breakfast I hade the kids help me make resurrection rolls. They are yummy and a fun way to teach about the resurrection.

For Easter dinner on Sunday we got together at Ann's house with her kids and Loren's parents. The food was yummy and it was great to get caught up with relatives.

Spring break

2011-05-11T10:23:00.000-06:00

Yes, I am behind with blogging. What's new. Busy life.
For spring break(which was the first part of April) we rented a cabin near Sundance for a few days.
It was fun, fun, fun. It had 3 levels and lots of balconies to go out on and enjoy the view. We saw lots of birds and some squirrels. One morning we woke up and notice paw prints in the snow coming right up the drive to the cabin. On further investigation, we were disappointed to find that they were just dog prints, along with people foot print on the other side of the drive.

The cabin had 3 bedroom and a few couches with hide a beds, also blow up mattresses. There were 4 t.v.'s
2 kitchens an office and 3 bathrooms. The funnest par for the kids was the play house. Yes, a real house just across the driveway from the main cabin. It was 2 levels. Toys and t.v. on the main floor. To get to the second floor you climbed a metal ladder that went straight up. Of course Hope thought she had to do it by herself, so I followed right behind. One the top floor were more toys a slide that twirled down to the main floor. There was also a loft to play in. The kids could leave for hours at a time to just go play. A quiet house is something I'm not use to. But I'm sure I could get use to it rather quickly.
The master suite also had a loft and 2 balcony's off of it. The master bath had a huge copper tub. When I say huge, I mean huge. We had the kids bring their swimwear and they all fit into it.
I DID TAKE PICTURES but with what camera. I can't find them. When I do, I will post them.
P.S. Braden missed this trip because he was in California on tour with Lehi High school choir. He had a blast.

Birthmothers Day

2011-05-07T10:43:00.001-06:00

Today is birth mother's day. I have always been amazed at the great love and unselfishness birthmothers have. They love their children so much that they are willing to let another mother raise their child so their child will get the love, attention, education, LIFE that they deserve.

Hope's birthmother Suzie is an amazing person, whom lives a colorful life. She knew that she was in NO position to raise a child and wanted a better life for her child. When Suzie signed over her parental rights, she told us to love her baby and tell Hope every day that her mommy Suzie loves her. She also wants us to send letters and pictures of Hope until she is 18. She said that she just wants to know that she is okay and doing well.

The day we became adoptive parents was one of the most emotional days of my life. Watching a mother give up her child so that I could have that child.

Here is a great quote about birthmothers that I am borrowing from a friends blog...
"Today is Birthmother's Day, a day designed to honor the sacrifice of women who have given up so much. Many birthmothers go through life unrecognized as the mother of the child they placed for adoption. Some have other children and some do not. Yet the thing they all have in common is they are phenomenal mothers. One thing that exemplifies a good mother is her willingness to put her child's needs before her own. There is little doubt there is a lot of sacrifice that goes into being a parent.

A birthparent also puts her child's needs before her own, and because of it makes one of the greatest sacrifices any parent can ever make. This makes her a pretty amazing mother, whether she is parenting her child or not. Mother's Day can be a bittersweet and difficult day for birthparents. While other mothers are honored, her sacrifice and status as a mother often goes ignored."

We love you Mommy Suzie. You will forever hold a special place in our hearts.

Hope 18 month doctor visit

2011-04-04T13:43:00.001-06:00

I took Hope in for her 18 month check up, last week. Se loved it until they gave her her immunizations. She cried for about 10 seconds and then the nurse gave her a sucker. Tears stopped and she was happy again.

She feel asleep on the way home and took a good nap. Of course she was cranky for a few days and complained about her legs. Tetanus shots hurt, I know!!!

She weighs to much for the baby scale, now. So she stood on the big people scale and jumped off of it before I could snap a picture. She weighs 27.1 pounds.(83%)

Is 33.5 inches tall(90%)

Head is 19.3 inches (95%)

She is slowing down in height an weight was is good because I was afraid she was going to be over 6 feet tall the way she was growing.

She does have big feet for her age. She already wears a size 5.

The newest words she says...batteries, chair, Are you done? It's mine, and lots more.

Hope hasn't slept in her bed for a few weeks. She just decided that she didn't like it. So she has been sleeping on the floor in her room. We finally pulled the toddler bed out of storage and washed it up. She now sleeps in the toddler bed and loves it.

April fools!!

2011-04-01T11:49:00.001-06:00

Yum, cupcakes. I served these for dinner last night as an April fools joke. I didn't dare do it today because Friday is pizza day. The kids came to the table and all commented on cupcakes for dinner, What? Why? What else are we having? I told them to look closer. Why are there chives on my frosting? I told them to taste it. The then figured out that it was mashed potatoes and meatloaf. Parker wouldn't eat the blue potatoes, they just looked so wrong.
I got this idea from a friends blog and just had to try it. I don't do a lot of April fools jokes but I couldn't pass on this one.

Also, Aliens visited our house or at least it looks like it.

Our trampoline was upside down on the grass all winter long. This was so it didn't blow away while it wasn't being used. Braden and I went out and flipped it over and pt legs back on it. This is what the grass looks like underneath it.
What to play an April fools joke on your kids...come on down.

Paige's big day

2011-03-30T12:00:00.000-06:00

Paige turned 15 on March 19th. It was a very big day for her. Not only was it her birthday but it was the 9th grade school dance.

she asked for microphone stands and jewelry for her birthday. She got a new karaoke machine, also.

Hope loves to sing along with Paige.

Loren and I took Paige out to lunch at Tepanyaki . It was delicious as always. Our chief was a hoot. He told a lot of funny jokes and was great with his utensils.
Paige went to a friends house to get ready for the dance. They all did each other nails and hair. And then off to the dance they went.
Another friend had a party afterwards. It was one fun filled day for Paige.

I thought that I had down loaded her pic's, but guess not. I will have to get them from her and post them when I can.

The zipper broke on her new dress when she took it off. We are in the process of returning it for a new one. We ordered it on line, so we have to go through the whole return by mail stuff.

One year older

2011-03-25T12:51:00.000-06:00

I'm another year older! Forty four is kinda old. I have friends my age with grandkids, and kids on missions. I still have a few years to go, thankfully. In my heart, I still feel young but my body is starting to tell me otherwise.
The kids had the day off of school for the snow day they didn't have to use. It was noisy but fun. They did all of the choirs that I usually do. I heard Parker crying to Loren, that mom has to many chores on Monday. At least they all know that I don't just sit home and watch t.v. or play with my friends.

The family got me a new bread maker that cooks 3 lb loafs of bread. I love it. Simply add the ingredients, set the settings, push the start button and walk away. The machine does the rest.

this loaf didn't turn out so nice but the second one did.

I also received a gift certificate to have my nails done. They are pretty again.

My in-laws and Parent sent money and a gift card....I bought work out clothes!

Loren took me out to eat ate a place called Tokyo. It was good.

Scary baby

2011-03-25T11:40:00.001-06:00

Hope fell down our flight of stairs last night. She hit her head hard on the tile at the bottom. I usually have two rugs piled on each other at the bottom but of course I had moved them to clean and hadn't gotten them back where they belong, yet.
I was in my room folding laundry and heard tumble, tumble, boom, and a ear splitting cry. Loren and Zach were down stairs and made it to her first. I took her and checked her out. I could see a bruise forming on her forehead. Bumps that stick out are usually a good sign, ones that stay flat are not. This one started to swell, but not much. I check out the rest f her body and she seemed okay. However, I was concerned that she could have hit her head somewhere else on the way down, so as a precaution I took into the ER. Buy the time we got there she had a large knot on her head but wasn't crying anymore.

The nurses and doctor were great. They got us in and out under 1 hour. They gave Hope crayons a color book and some paper dolls. She colored for quite a while. She was up and dancing before we left.
They sent papers and instructions home with us with things to look for incase she has a concussion. She is doing good with no signs, yet. A little cranky, but she probably has a headache.

Hope is 1 and 1/2

2011-03-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

Wow, 18 months already. How time flies. It seems like we were just in Florida picking her up only months ago.
Loren to her to nursery Sunday, and she loved it! She is our first child to go without crying. The teachers told us that she just kind of stood and watched for awhile and then jumped right in. She loved it so much that she didn't want to leave at the end of church. Loren went to pick her up and she had toy cars in each hand and was dancing around the room.
Loren is as excited as Hope. He can now go to class without a busy body to take care of. I laugh because every time we have had a baby, I have been in primary with the 3 or 4 year old class. This meant that Loren had to take the baby, cause babies and small kids don't work so well at church.

She still love food. She will eat almost anything placed in front of her. She eats with a spoon and fork every meal but ends up finishing with her fingers. It is much faster.

She is cutting 6, yup 6, teeth all at once. She is happy during the day, but doesn't sleep so well at night. Hopefully, for the two of us, the teeth will break all of the way through, quickly.
She only has for teeth right now, so she will more than double them in the next week or so.

She loves playing with her friends. She finds playing with me not as much fun. She is learning her colors. We all love the way she says BLUE!! It is so funny. It sounds something like BBBBoooo, the b's sound like they do when you are blowing raspberries.

She walks down the porch steps with out help. And would try walking down the inside steps if I let her.

Children grow up way to fast. At least for their parents they do.

5 K run

2011-03-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

I have joined a friend in a 5 K run on fridays. This means that you run ( or exercise) for the amount of time it would take you to do a 5k. We really don't meet together, we just all do it on Fridays!!
I can't wait for the weather to get warmer so I can FAST WALK outdoors. I don't jog or run. It is bad and hard on the knees. I already have a bad knee, so I stick with walking, aerobics, and dance. Also, I work out with the Wii and Kinnect. There are a lot of options.
I am challenging all of my friends to join us!!! I have a 5k button that will take you to my friends blog. She posts fun things about 5k and how to stay upbeat!

Health update

2011-03-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

This for all of you that are wondering. I have been back to the endocrinologist for more blood work. My thyroid is now level again and I am feeling a whole lot better. I have more energy and my hair has stopped falling out by the hand full. I get to go back every 3 months to keep on top of things. they will do blood work to see if there are any changes in my thyroid levels or if there needs to be a change in my medication.
I am so grateful for medication to help my body function the way it should.

First pink slip-ever

2011-02-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

This morning, Parker came and gave me a pencil. I knew that it was to sign something, like home work. I asked where the paper was that I was supposed to sign. He gave me a worried look and handed me a little pink paper. On the top it read STOP AND GO- signed by the duty guard. It said he was caught throwing a snowball. I signed the paper so he could take it back to school and asked if he was going to do that again. He said, "No way!". He then said, "don't tell Dad". I guess he thinks Dad will get upset.

We have never gotten a pink slip before, and hopefully we won't ever get one again. Child number five is trying his boundaries at school or maybe just forgot the rules. I kind of think that it is silly to send a note home, couldn't the duty guard just have him sit in time out for a while and talk to him about it?
I was impressed that Parker actually gave me the note, I know a child that would have just kept it in his back pack.

growing up

2011-02-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I have posted anything about Hope. She is growing up so fast. She knows all kinds of words but only says them when she feels like it.
She loves having other children to play with and would play outside all day if I let her. She doesn't care that it is cold out there. I DO!

She likes to help with chores

She likes to sit on the steps and read books.

Loves to run. And also play with my cell phone.

Meet Tanner

2011-02-22T13:47:00.001-07:00

He is our new dog. He is 8 months old and already house broken-mostly. He knows the command sit. We are working on drop, and stay.
Parker decided it was time to get another dog. So we went to the Human society to look. Loren wanted a big dog. Parker, wasn't so sure about it. We took Tanner out side for a walk and let him play in a fenced in area that is there. He played well with Parker and Hope. They did a cat test to see how he reacted with cats. He passed. However, he wants to play with our cats, and they want nothing to do with him.
We have to keep a close eye on him because he loves to chew up plastic toys. Hope's doll was the latest toy to get chewed.
I can't wait for the weather to get warmer so he can stay outside most of the day.

Crazy storm

2011-02-17T10:26:00.001-07:00

Last night we had a crazy storm. High winds and pelting snow. Braden had driven himself and Zach to ym/yw and Loren was nervous about him getting home. He did just fine. He said the only problem he had was seeing where to turn onto our street. But he saw a van parked at the neighbors at the corner and then knew where it was.
We frantically looked for flash lights that worked. Most of them were out in the trailer. Hope thought flash lights were a neat thing, but kept crying, pointing to the T.V. and saying show. She didn't understand that it wouldn't come on.
A great neighbor posted on face book that gas fireplaces have a back up battery connection. Just add 2 D batteries. Well we found ours, but guess what, the wires had never been connected so it would work. So our great neighbor got in his car and came right over to help(Thanks Trent). He had it up and going in no time. All of the kids-minus Braden slept in the family room, to keep warm. Braden opted out and slept in his own bed.
Loren didn't dare leave the fire place on all night, afraid of carbon monoxide poisoning. The fire place is vented, but he didn't want to take any chances ( and YES we have carbon monoxide detectors in the house). Better safe than sorry. Loren turned the fire off at 11p.m. and thankfully the power came back on at 2:30 before the house cooled off to much.
The older kids were hopping that it would still be off in the morning so they wouldn't have to go to school.
Thankfully my alarm clock has battery back up and the kids cell phones have alarms on them, so everyone was up on time.

It's official

2011-02-04T14:56:00.001-07:00

Braden finally finished the Driving part to get his license. I took him to get his license, yesterday. So if you live by me, stay off the sidewalks. Just kidding, he is a good driver.
He took drivers ED last year but at the end of the year the teacher had to go in for open heart surgery. The school was supposed to call us with days and times for Braden to finish up during the summer but they never did. Before school started I went into the office and left the teacher a note-with no response. I then left messages on his voice mail with no response. Braden finally went into his classroom and questioned him about it , just to find out that everything was full. I kept sending Braden to talk to the teacher and he finally made room for him to complete range and road.
I can't tell if Braden is excited about it or not. I think he is but just doesn't want to show it. We now need to get the mustang up and running again so I can teach him how to drive a stick.

It seems that I have had someone home ill every week this year. Zach didn't feel well on Tuesday, so I kept him home from school. He is still home today. I took him into the doctors and he has bronchitis. I am looking forward to warmer weather and less illness in our home.

Brrrr it's cold outside

2011-02-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

Baby, it's cold outside.
We have been experiencing some CRAZY COLD weather the last two days. I drove the two youngest boys to school yesterday and the school marque said it was 12* degrees. Their principal was hurrying everyone inside out of the cold. I went to pick them up later that afternoon and it was still very cold. I stepped out of the door with Hope, no coats on, it looked very nice out. I quickly turned around and retrieved our coats. Looks can be deceiving.
Today, I drove the boys to school and the marque read a whopping 4*degrees. Seriously, where is the sun? Warmer weather would be nice.

Life

2011-01-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

Life isn't the breathes we take but the moments that take our breathe away!!

I have had many of these moments the last few days.
Hope has learned to climb up on the kitchen chairs and then on to the table. I have found her sitting on it, crawling across it and standing on it.
She now walks up the stairs hanging to the bars, which isn't to scary. The walking down them is, however. If she didn't stop to play it wouldn't be so bad.

Braden has been driving me places. He isn't to bad but there are those moments that I hold my breathe and wish I had a brake on my side of the car.

Feeling skeptical

2011-01-05T10:42:00.001-07:00

Yes, I am feeling a little skeptical today. How can you have all of the symptoms for a disease, but not have it?
Yesterday at the Endocrinologists, the doctor gave me a paper on Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.( I'll post what this is at the bottom of the post.) And told me that she was going to have me tested for this because I have ALL of the symptoms. She felt pretty sure that I had it. But the lab work came back negative. Loren's response was,"did they do the test right".
Other lab results came back normal except for Thyroid levels are now too high. So now they have decreased my med's. Also, she said that my iron level is on the low end of normal and that I should take over the counter iron pills. I have another appointment scheduled for 6 weeks to do more test and see how I am doing then.
I don't like to complain but I wish that I didn't feel so yucky.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis is a condition caused by inflammation of the thyroid gland. It is an autoimmune disease, which means that the body inappropriately attacks the thyroid gland--as if it was foreign tissue. The underlying cause of the autoimmune process still is unknown. Hashimoto's thyroiditis tends to occur in families.
These are the symptoms.....

Fatigue
Depression
Modest weight gain
Cold intolerance
Excessive sleepiness
Dry, coarse hair
Constipation
Dry skin
Muscle cramps
Decreased concentration
Vague aches and pains
thinning of hair and nails

Doctors and more doctors

2011-01-04T16:43:00.000-07:00

My thyroid has been doing horrible things to me lately. My ENT did blood work and increased my med's before Christmas. I felt better for awhile and then I started getting other symptoms-like my hair falling out by the handfuls, always feel worn out, and the list goes on. So the ENT sent me to an Endocrinologist, who is testing for all kinds of things. I should have results in 2 days, or less. I hope that they can figure out what is going on, so I can feel normal again.

The second day back to school, proved to be better than the first for all of the children.
Yesterday, Parker cried because he didn't want to go back. Loren drove Braden to school because he thought that he had missed the bus. Turns out he was early, so no one was there. Paige and Zach's bus showed up 30 minutes late. They got to school on time because we have wonderful neighbors that picked them up and took them. Ethan didn't complain but I could tell that he wasn't excited about it.
It is hard getting back into the whole get up early routine after sleeping in and going to bed late for 2 weeks.

It has been very cold here for the past few days. The doors were frozen on the Excursion when I went to drive the 2 youngest boys to school, yesterday. We got the front door opened and we all climbed in. It was hard to climb into the back to get Hope in her car seat. It still wouldn't open when we got home. Today, the doors were frozen again. Thankfully it had warmed up enough by 1 p.m. that the doors opened when I had to head to the doctors. I love seeing the sun. I hope it shows up more often.

Fun in Pheonix

2010-12-31T15:41:00.000-07:00

While we were in Arizona, we took in some sights. We went to the Aquarium. It was neat seeing al of the different kinds of fish and sea life. Hope was thrilled by it all and thought that she should be able to touch the fish.

We spent a few hours at Castles and Coasters. It is like a mini Lagoon but had some great rides. The roller coaster was the best. Their weren't lines at most of the rides so we just went from ride to ride. Parker would only ride the go carts, over and over. I took Hope on the carousal. I couldn't tell if she liked it or not. She didn't get upset, but she din't smile either. We also played miniature golf. I think Hope had the most fun. She would get 2 balls from people,so we were always sharing golf balls, find the holes and drop them in. She loved running up and down the slopes.

It was fun to be able to play outside in December without a jacket and get some sun.

Snow and Christmas

2010-12-31T15:34:00.000-07:00

We decided to spend Christmas in Arizona this year with Loren parents and siblings. We left the WRONG day. We left Tuesday during the storm that turned into a night mare. The roads were snowy and icy. After seeing 20 cars in the snow banks, diesels stuck in the middle of the high way blocking traffic and snow plows going no where we gave up for the day. We had been on the road for 4 1/2 hours and only made it to Fillmore. In normal weather we would have made it that far in under 2 hours. We found a motel and spent the rest of the day and night. The power had been out there since 6 a.m. and didn't come back on until about 4 p.m.. The motel had back up power, enough to run the heater and stay warm. Loren decided to go find something for lunch, to find out most places where closed. He came back with lost of different kinds of food from a gas station. The children called it random food and asked if we were going to have to have it again for dinner. Thankfully, places where open again by 6 p.m.. We hit the road again Wednesday morning in dense fog that lifted after about 30 minutes. The rest of the trip was smooth sailing. All of the children did well for the long car ride. Hope would get fussy and we would get out a a baby genius movie and put it on for her and she would settle down.
It was great to walk through the door and be welcomed by Loren's parent and his siblings and their kids. It is always fun to get together with family and eat good food and just relax.

I went to pull my camera out to get some pictures and guess what, It was covered in children's liquid ibuprofen. I saw it sitting on the counter the morning we left and hurriedly through it in the bag of med's I was holding. What a big mistake!!! I washed it off wet a wet cloth, just to have to wipe it off again a few minutes later cause it was oozing out of the buttons and cracks. The battery compartment was filled and I wondered if it would work. Loren surprised me by buying me a new one when he went shopping. Thanks for the early Christmas present.

Christmas was a blast!! Hope couldn't figure out what was going on, but loved opening present and playing with everything. The 3 oldest kids got laptops and where very quiet and entertained the rest of the stay. Ethan got DS games and lego sets, Parker got a DS and games, and Hope got the Fisher Price doll house and a talking tea pot. Santa brought Loren an I pad and myself some sizzix dies.
We kept Christmas small because it all had to make it the the car for the ride home.

Putting on the nativity.

The children and their cousins put on the Nativity story Christmas eve. It was fun and quick since their are still small children.

SIng, sing, sing

2010-12-10T14:34:00.001-07:00

Braden performed in the Lehi Christmas concert. It sounded great. I love that my children love to sing!!

I used my I phone so the picture isn't great. The songs are!

Parker's surgery

2010-12-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

Parker was the bravest kid I have every seen. He was only a little nervous about getting his tonsils and adenoids out.
Maybe that is because we took him to a pre-op class where they walked the kids through what was going to happen and gave them cool things. They gave him a hospital buddy that was dressed in a hospital gown and he got to draw the face on it. He also got a mask just like the one they would use in surgery to practice with at home.

We didn't have a long wait before surgery which helped. We were only in the waiting room about 15 minutes, then they took us back to get him ready. All of the nurses and doctors were very cute with him. The one that wheeled his bed into surgery drove crazy. And Parker says that Dr. Deny's new name is...crazy Dr. Deny's because he zig zags across the room when he walks.

The whole procedure was about 35 minutes long. When they brought Parker to recovery, he woke up and told us," that was fun and painless"! The nurse told him that he was the best patient that she had ever had.
He loved the 2 slushes that they gave him. We watched t.v. and talked for about 1 hour and then they let us go home.

Surgery makes you look horrible and feel tired.

I thought that Parker would come home and sleep. But, no!! He watched t.v. and played computer games, even while taking tylenol with codeine.

He feels good until the med's start to wear off. I set my alarm clock so I could get up and give him the next dose before it wore off and he was in pain, so the night went well.

A scout made children's lounge pants for the hospital(eagle scout project) for the children that had surgery, so they could go home in something comfy. Parker got a pair. He also got a game and they let him bring his pressure cuff home.

Christmas tree

2010-12-07T18:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, we really did have Thanksgiving at our house this year. The only problem is, I left my camera at my parent's house. I heard that it made it to my sister's house that same day but it is still there. So I will write about it when I get my camera back.

Monday we decorated the Christmas tree for our FHE activity. Hope had a great time emptying out all of the ornaments onto the floor. And then putting them back in so she could dump them out again. I let the kids put up whatever they wanted too this year. So the tree looks like a kid tree. I am usually pretty picky about what gets put on and where. However, with a one year old running around, it won't stay that way for long. I've already put about 15 back on. I'm sure that having a kitten that plays with the tree doesn't help either.

So if you come to my house, it's okay to laugh at my tree.

Brave Parker

2010-11-28T19:04:00.001-07:00

I took Parker tho the Ear, nose and throat doctor about 1 week ago. He snores at night and that isn't normal for children, unless they have a stuffy nose.

He cooperated but was nervous. Especially when they put numbing spray in his nose and then a tiny camera to see what his adenoids looked like.

Parker has to have his tonsils and adenoids out on Dec. 9th. We're talking the whole thing up....pop, ice cream, miss school. Some how I think it won't be so easy.

Pine wood derby

2010-11-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

Braden, Paige and Zachary made pinewood derby cars for Young men and women. Paige and Zach decided that they wanted pre cut cars so didn't have to do so much work.

Braden made his from the normal block of wood.

All of them turned out well but didn't win any of the races.

Paige however did win the award for the Cutest car.

Braden also took a car that he made while in cub scouts.

November is for...

2010-11-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving and recognizing your blessings.
I am grateful for my loving husband, Loren. He is an amazing man. He loves his job most of the time and provides well for our family. He is a wonderful Dad and is involved in our children's lives. He is a great example of the Priesthood and brings happiness into our home.
I am grateful for ALL of my children ( yes, even the 3 teenagers), they each bring something special into our home with their different personalities and talents.
I am grateful for Birthparents that give the gift of life so unselfishly.
I am grateful for the gospel in my life.
I am grateful for parents that raised me in the gospel and taught me many things growing up and still do.
I am grateful for such good friends and neighbors.
I am grateful for Christ, my Savior.
I am grateful for life it's self.

My grateful list goes on and on........

I am even grateful for trails, some more than others.

Right this minute, I am grateful for Doctors and the technology of medication. For without it I would feel lousy, tired, sore and more...every single day. Instead, I only have these days a few times a month or when my medication need to be increased. Yes, I am thankful for the health that I do have.

Fruit Facials

2010-11-15T12:56:00.000-07:00

Here are a few recipes for fruit facials...

Honey Facial
1 Tbs honey
1 egg yoke
1 tsp olive oil
Beat yoke with fork, add the honey with a warm fork, then add the oil and mix well.
Smear it on your face and leave it on for 15 minutes, rinse well.

Cucumber Facial
1 cucumber-peel and put throw blender and strain or use a juicer.
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp witch hazel
1 egg white beat until fluffy
add everything together, smear on face and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse off.

Blemished skin mask
1 tomato, ripe, chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbs instant oatmeal or rolled oats
Blend everything until just combined. Apply to skin, or just on blemishes. Add more oats if needed. Leave on for 10 minutes and rinse.

I have tried the first two and love them. Not sure about the blemish mask, yet.

Blue baby

2010-11-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

I have never seen any one really turn blue before but tonight I did.

My side of the family got together at my sister Teri's to work on our family service project for Christmas. Teri served us dinner. Loren was feeding Hope and letting her eat off of his plate. She started eating cabbage salad and I told Loren not to let her because she doesn't have teeth to chew it. Within seconds she was choking and turning blue. I was so glad that I knew what to do. Who would have guessed that learning things from working at Childcare centers would actually come in handy at home. I got her breathing again, and the scare was over. However, I was glad that if I couldn't help her that my sister Teri could. She is a nurse and knows everything. Okay, not everything, but a lot more than I do about emergencies.
Hope is fine!!!

Activity Days

2010-11-12T09:19:00.001-07:00

For activity days we had a Spa Night here. We did homemade fruit facials, fingernail painting, foot bathes, hair and of course cucumbers on our eyes. It was a blast.

When activity days were over my children had to have a turn also. Zach tried the cucumbers and a facial, silly boy. Gotta love him.

Paige and Brinn did it all. Hope thought the foot bathe was great fun.

Our new addition

2010-11-10T11:02:00.001-07:00

Sparta is our newest addition. Or as Hope calls him, Wuba.
Paige and I went shopping and saw a family with a box of free kittens. Jokingly I said," we should get one". I honestly thought Paige would say," no way" because she is allergic to them. But she said, "we should, lets go see them." So we did. This kitten was so gorgeous that we just had to have him. He is so cute and tiny. Hopefully he will help keep mice out of our house and yard.

No more braces

2010-11-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

After little more than a year, Braden got his braces off!! He now has nice straight shinny teeth. He has clear retainers to wear at night for the next year or two. He says it feels so nice not to have a metal mouth any more.

Guess who's

2010-11-02T11:43:00.002-06:00

Who's hand do you think this is?

If you guessed mine, you are right. I tore the ligaments in my thumb and get to wear this nice contraption for two weeks.
How did I do this, you ask. Well, we all are aware of those crazy child proof covers they make to put on door knobs, apparently they are adult proof and dangerous!!! Okay, maybe only dangerous for me.
I couldn't get the knob to turn and so I put my left hand over my right to get more leverage and pop. It only hurt for a second so I didn't think much of it. A few hours later it began to hurt and was very swollen. I waited until the next day to have it x rayed in hopes that it would get better. No such luck.
It is tricky using my left hand and having diapers to change. But life goes on.

Halloween fun

2010-11-02T11:31:00.000-06:00

We carved pumpkins for Family night. We all had a blast and made quite the mess.

On Friday, Loren's work had trick or treating for children 12 and under. So we checked the kids out of school early and the went with dad to have some fun.

Both Zach and Paige threw Halloween party's here on different nights. Everyone had a lot of fun and stayed up late.

Yes, that is my old cheerleading outfit. Glad it can still come in handy.

The kids had fun trick or treating even though it was rainy and cold. I guess that I bought to much candy this year. The cold weather didn't help. We were even giving 3 or 4 pieces to everyone that came because we knew that we probably wouldn't get as many as usual. Braden and a friend went to their young men leaders house and Sunday school teachers to get candy and to hang out. They said that they were going to go cause some trouble. I really doubt that happened.

Lehi choir performance

2010-10-29T14:38:00.001-06:00

Braden is in the Acapella choir this year. One of the songs that they performed was Them bones. They wore dark clothes and white gloves under black lights. I made Braden a Zombie costume for the other songs but his teacher had a full body skeleton costume she wanted someone to wear. She chose Braden. He said it was hot and hard to breathe while moving around and singing but he did a great job.

Don't worry, the zombie costume has already been put to good use. I wore to the Halloween party that we had for the 8 &9 yr olds activity day girls. Also ,I wore to Parker's class today to help with their halloween party and will be wearing to my primary class party( fun 4 year olds) later today. It is a funner costume than my witch costume that I have worn for years.

Braden's choir Tux

2010-10-18T16:50:00.000-06:00

I wondered why Braden's fees for choir were so much this year. This handsome tux is why!!!

I had to beg him to get a picture, he doesn't like having his pic taken.

Fall break

2010-10-16T18:56:00.001-06:00

For fall break we decided to spend some time with my sister and her boys playing at Trafalga. We then spent Friday night at Holiday Inn Express in West Valley. It has and indoor pool that is like a mini Legacy center. The kids had a blast swimming and playing, watching movies and sleeping in the motel.

We went out to eat and Hope fell asleep before the yummy food arrived.

We tried to get her to take a nap earlier but she was to excited about her new surroundings.

She had fun playing in the crib but didn't sleep well in it.

We came home late Saturday morning to do chores and then relax. It is great being able to just have fun together and forget about work, homework and house work once in awhile.

Bump on the head

2010-10-02T09:19:00.000-06:00

Usually when I receive a text from one of my children during school it is just to say hi, or can you bring me such and such. Yesterday, I received a text from Paige saying that she had been hit in the head with a disk while in P.E.. I asked if she was okay or if she needed me to come and get her. She replied that she had put ice on it and was okay. I then received this photo....

She said that it looked good compared to what it looked like earlier.

I was proud of her because she toughed it out and stayed at school. However, she was worried that her seminary teacher might tease her about it. He didn't.

Dr. visit

2010-09-30T14:02:00.000-06:00

Hope went to her 1 year check up. She is now 32 inches (99th percentile),and weighs 23.9 pounds (84th percentile). Her weight has slowed down which is good for me. The crawling and walking has really helped. She finally cut her second top tooth. The other one has been in for months and I was getting a little concerned. She is advanced in her speech. She is already putting 2 and 3 words together. Baby's grow to fast, if you ask me.

The nurse gave Hope a succor before they gave her the shots. Hope only cried for about 10 seconds, noticed that she still had the succor and stopped. She finished the succor on the ride home and fell asleep.

Getting organized

2010-09-27T12:54:00.000-06:00

I got this great idea from a friend. I no longer hear...."Mom, where's the, or we don't have any..."
It is all right there in front of you in it's own little pocket.

And she's off

2010-09-27T10:10:00.000-06:00

Hope has been walking on her own for about the last week. She stood up next to me one day and just took off. I knew that she could do it, it was just being brave enough. She had been walking from one person to another for quite awhile now. She was up to 14 steps!!!
She still prefers crawling because it is much faster.

Pine wood durby

2010-09-20T11:40:00.002-06:00

This is a little late. But this is what happens when you have two cameras and forget to down load pictures from both.

Ethan made a great car this year. He drew a picture of how he wanted it to look and the helped loren carve it out and sand it down. They did a fun paint job- now to see if the wheels stay on.
The races are quick now that the track is digital and keeps track of every cars speed. The boys don't have to race everyone..anymore. The cars race 3 heats and the computer keeps the best time which is then displayed on a digital board for all to see what place you are in.

No, Ethan didn't win. He did have a fun time at the race and building his car with his dad. And that is what matters.

Loren checked the speeds of the 1st and last place car. There was only 1/2 second difference, wow!!!

Fisher price toys

2010-09-20T11:26:00.001-06:00

I love Fisher Price toys. The are sturdy and last a long time. My mother still has a few from when I was a child.

After making it through 5 of my children, friends and a few years of preschool, this one didn't make it through Hope.

She loves to climb. And this is what happened when she knelt on it trying to get on the top.

I'm going to try glueing it back together.

Hope's 1st Birthday

2010-09-08T21:56:00.001-06:00

Hope is one today.

The kids sang Happy Birthday to her before they left for school. She smiled and danced. She cried when they left for school. She has decided that being home alone with mom isn't as fun as being with her siblings.

We had a family and friends get together to celebrate her big day.

Hope had a blast opening presents.

She loved every gift and had to play with them all (But the clothes weren't so exciting). Although, I think they are.

She loved the frosting and candy on the cupcake. She all so enjoyed her ice cream cone.

We had a pinata for the older kids (thanks Spencers) .

The hanger broke after a few hits so Loren got creative.

And then the kids played and the adults talked. And then darkness set in so everyone headed home.

Thanks for coming, everyone!!!

The kids did go back to school

2010-09-03T22:23:00.000-06:00

Yeah, the kids are all back in school. Parker went to his first whole day of school and thought that it was awesome. Ethan says that he has the greatest teacher in the whole school. Zach is still getting use to Jr. High and 8 different classes. Paige has already started to complain about home work which isn't good sign. I think that I only heard her complain about it 3 times the whole year, last year. Braden is enjoys being a Junior but has already change his schedule twice.
I am loving the quieter house and time alone with Hope. On the other hand, I don't enjoy all of the homework either. 5 kids in school=lots and lots of helping with homework.

Birthday time

2010-09-03T22:14:00.001-06:00

Parker turned 7 yesterday. He wanted to have a lego themed party. He also wanted his cake to have fondant icing. He has been watching to much Cake Boss with Paige. So I actually learned how to make fondant.

The cake din't turn out so great but Parker loved it, since he helped make it. He wanted it to look like a red lego with the dots green. I don't own great food coloring, it never turned red.

I made the second cake because I pulled out a confetti cake mix to make cup cakes with and it had fun icing pictures in it. So I made a small cake and cupcakes.

All of the party games had something to do with Legos.

Knocking down the tower that the other team made with big marbles.

Pin the dot on the lego.

I asked Paige to find a blind fold. She decided a bucket would be fun.

Building lego creations with lego candy.

First day of Jr. High

2010-08-25T09:45:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Zach went to his first day of Jr. High. The seventh graders get to go a day early so the can find their way around without the crowd. The class officers are there to help them when needed.
Zach said that he only got lost twice and that was because he asked directions to a class. The students told him the wrong directions. He also said that he couldn't get his locker open but his locker partner (Josh) could. So things were great. Thank goodness he is a easy going kid or the day could have been a disaster.
Zach loved it.
Today will be the real test with all of the students there. We will see what he has to say today.

Great news!!

2010-08-19T11:25:00.000-06:00

I took Zach in to the Doctor's to get the news about his MRI and what the doctor thought should happen next. Great news... the tumor is very common in growing children. It is basically just extra bone growth that isn't cancerous. He said that it will continue to grow as long as Zach continues to grow. But that they don't remove them unless they start to hurt or get in the way off his performance. So we will keep track off it for the next few years and pray that he will not need surgery.

One great Bishop

2010-08-16T10:27:00.001-06:00

Braden gave the prayer on the sacrament bread for the first time yesterday. He had to start over 3 times. After he messed up the first time, I could tell that he was really nervous. He was talking really fast and would repeat words. After the 3 mess ups, there was a long pause, okay it seemed like a long pause to me, the Bishop got up and walked over to the table. Quietly knelt down by Braden and put his hand on his back. He quietly talked to Braden. I could see the tension leave Braden's body and he started the prayer over, the Bishop staying right there with him. It was one of the sweetest things I have ever seen.
It was really hard for me to sit in the congregation, seeing my son struggle and not being able to do anything. I'm sure it was hard for Loren too. But the Bishop saved us and Braden by being the loving person that he is. We love you Bishop Spencer!

Braden told me after words, that some one had taken the bigger card with the prayer on it and he was using the very small one. He kept losing his place and had to start over. When the Bishop came over, he handed Braden a big card and that really helped.

Zach scout camp

2010-08-16T10:15:00.001-06:00

Zach survived Scout camp at Bear lake. He said that he had a blast!! He even enjoyed wilderness survival.
He said that he and another boy in the ward went looking for a good spot to build a shelter for the night when they came upon a nice one left behind by some one else. So they threw their things inside of it and went to help the other boy make theirs. One night the leaders took them out for ice cream. Sounds like roughing it to me. He was glad to be home and take a shower. Even boys, can only go so long living in dirt.

Zach's test results

2010-08-11T12:06:00.001-06:00

Got the phone call about Zach's leg. He has what is called a Distal femur osterochondroma or in real language--a bone tumor. It may or may not need to be removed. He also has some joint fusion in his knee. So back to the doctors we go next Thursday to see what the doctor decides.

Still raining

2010-08-10T22:03:00.002-06:00

They say that trials are great learning experiences. But may I have a break for awhile.

Hope got a stomach virus last week and was throwing up. The next day Ethan and Parker got the same thing. After the fever left the throw ups did too but diarrhea followed. The boys got over it quickly. Hope wasn't so lucky. She was doing great Saturday so we went to church on Sunday. Loren then told me he wasn't feeling well. Monday Hope was grumpy and today she is throwing up, again. Poor girl.

Parker came out of his room just before lunch crying that the cat had opened his bedroom door and ate his new bird ( yes the cat can actually open doors, the silly thing). I went up to his room to find the cage on the floor, bird seed everywhere and feathers on the floor. A very content cat laying on the floor. So I consoled Parker and cleaned up the mess. Later that evening I heard shouts of joy coming from Parkers room. The bird was a live. I don't know where it had hid because we all looked for it and I cleaned things up in the room and vacuumed and didn't find it. But yeah, it is a live. That is if it doesn't die of stress.

Yes, we now have a parakeet and a hermit crab for pets.

The dogs were giving me too much stress. Everyday, I stressed about them getting out the front door or out of the backyard somehow and what the neighbors would do if they saw them out of the yard! I have enough to worry about without dogs and neighbors so we found new homes for the dogs. They are being very spoiled!!

I was supposed to get Zach's MRI results today. I even called and left a message. But they didn't call back. So I'll bug them again tomorrow.

Braden Survived Scout camp

2010-08-08T16:51:00.001-06:00

Braden went to Moab for scout camp this year. They went rock climbing and repelling. He repelled 135 foot cliff and loved it!! Says he wants to go again.They went white water river rafting and for a mountain drive in a unimog--Straight up and straight down the side of a mountain. He had a blast, even when they had a flash flood and their camp got flooded and things where floating around. He said that they had gone to the store to buy seasonings to put on the steak they were going to BBQ for dinner and when they got back everything was under water. So they went out to eat at a pizza place. Their tents didn't get wet inside-miracle. The boys were worn out and another big storm rolling in so they packed up early and headed home. They got home around 11 p.m. Thursday night instead of coming home Friday morning. But they didn't mind.
Friday they spent the whole morning washing muddy tents and other supplies and getting things put away.

The leaders took pictures and I will add them as soon as I receive them.

Thanks wonderful leaders and Bishop Spencer for your time and effort to make this a great learning experience for my son!!

Hope is 11 months old

2010-08-08T16:35:00.001-06:00

Our little Hope isn't so little anymore.
she is now 11 months old and thinks she's at least 3 yrs old. She is doing her best to keep up with all of her brothers and sister.
She walks, as long as she can touch something, a wall, the back of a couch, chair, etc..
Her newest word is DUMB. can you believe it. She also says nummy for yummy.
She thinks that she needs to play with what ever the other kids are playing with. And will often try to take things away from them. She has crawled up 2 steps and come back down. She loves to go to sleep listening to...hula music. She is a hoot. We love her to pieces.

Zach's Dr. Apt.

2010-08-05T14:58:00.002-06:00

Zach had his Dr. Apt with the specialist today. They had more x-rays taken and decided that he needs an MRI with contrast. So that is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

Test results

2010-08-02T16:36:00.000-06:00

We got a call from the doctor today. The results for Braden's ECHO are... all NORMAL! What a relief.
It is a good thing since Braden went to scout camp this morning. I won't have to worry about him as much.

A lot of doctors

2010-07-31T12:06:00.000-06:00

Don't tell your God how big your problems are, tell your problems how big your God is.

Before we left the family reunion on Saturday, Hope started running a fever. I blamed it on her teeth, as she is cutting 3 at once. One has now broken through. However, the fever got higher and she got grumpier as the days went by. So I took her to see the Doctor on Tuesday. She had a bad sore throat and is being treated for strep, even thought the test came back negative. The Dr. didn't want to chance it.
Wednesday I took Braden and Zach into the doctors. Braden for his scout physical and Zach to get rid of some ugly warts and to have a lump on his leg looked at. The Dr. said that Braden has a heart murmur. He honestly thought we knew about it because those are usually found at a young age. But no one had said anything to us about it before. So Braden was scheduled to have an ECHO at the AF hospital on Friday. We had it done and should get the results back on Monday. The Dr. then attacked Zach's warts and looked at the lump on his leg, near his knee. He said that it wasn't muscles and thought that it may be a bone cyst. So Zach had x-rays taken on Thursday and it wasn't a bone cyst. The doctor isn't sure what it is. But it is definitely something. So Zach now has an appointment with a bone specialist on August 5th.
I told the boys, "I take you in for easy peasy stuff and now look. Your stressing me out." Zach's reply was"Mom, that's our job!!!". We all laughed.
To add to it, I have 2 Dr. appointments for me in the next10 days.
Good thing we save for these kind of rainy days.

The R's family reunion at Bear Lake

2010-07-26T13:22:00.000-06:00

This years Family reunion was quit interesting, to say the least. We had reservations at Payson Lakes. My sister got a call from them the day before we were to go and said that they were closed for a few days because of bear problems. Now what to do? The weekend of the 24th of July isn't an easy week to find camp grounds....and so Teri (my oldest sister) called her In-Laws that live in in Idaho and have beach front property at Bear Lake to see if we could camp on their property. They lovingly said Yes!!! So we changed some plans at home, did some more packing and headed to Idaho.

We had a great time on the private beach and playing in the water.

There are lots and lots of little sea shells every where. The children enjoyed collecting them. Even Hope helped. Ethan decided that if we collected a lot that we could bring them home and put them in our sand box. Then we can play beach at home.

Ethan and his bowl full of sea shells

we played outdoor games and cooking outdoors.

Our family decided to go to Minnetonka cave. Mike told us that it wasn't that cold. And that we didn't even have to hike in to get to it. So off we went.
Good thing we had a blanket in the car and that Paige and Zach had on their light jackets to share. The cave temp is 40 degrees F. Guess it may not be cold to some, but to kids it is.

Here we are before we go in the cave.

While waiting for our tour through the cave we read many facts about it.

Fact 1. The cave is 40 degrees all year round.

Fact 2. There are 888 steps through out the cave.

Fact 3. The longest stair case has 71 steep steps.

Fact 4. Bats live in the cave.

Fact 5. The round trip through the cave is about 1 1/2 miles and takes about 1 1/2 hours from start to finish.

We took turns carrying Hope. She loved the cave and would point and squeal. Then she got tired and fell asleep. It is hard to carry dead weight. And even harder going down the steps that are uneven and wet...when you can't see your feet. But we all made it and thought that it was amazing.

Us at the end of the tour. Out side the cave . Tired but happy.

This is an original pioneer log cabin on the Lovelands property . It has a few updated things on it as it was lived in until about 40 years ago. There is also an old

Black smith building that is now used as a shed.

What a great 3 days of camping and partying.

Could this week get any crazier???

2010-07-17T12:07:00.000-06:00

Could this week get any crazier???
Zach went on an over nighter with the scouts. Loren also went as a parent volunteer. The scouts were to back pack in to their camp site which was supposed to be about a 5 mile hike. Loren and another Dad drove to the camp site to set up camp and get dinner ready. To their surprise a site had not been reserved and the place was full. So they travel further on and found a place that they thought was free camping, got everything set up and fires going, in time for the ranger to show up. The ranger asked what they thought they were doing and they told them about the scouts. Apparently, they site was reserved and had been paid for by someone else. The ranger hung around until everything was taken apart and put away.
Loren then proceeded to call one of the leaders on the hike to let them know...only to find out that they weren't sure how much longer it be until they made it into camp. Hours went by....and still no sight of them. The leaders finally decided that they must have taken a wrong turn and where LOST. Loren told them to turn around and come back the way they had gone in and he would meet them at the trail head. This was at around 11:00 P.M. Loren kept in touch with them most of the way back down the mountain (when they had reception). Loren called me to let me know what was going and and told me to pray for their safe return. So of course I did. I was worried and stressed. Loren and the other Dad where very concerned about the boys and how they were doing and if they would be able to find their way back down. So they got in touch with the Sheriff, who told them as long as they were headed down the mountain, they would make it into Provo. The Sherif how ever went out to look for them in his truck with night vision goggles. The boys made it back to the trail head around 1:00 a.m. tired, hungry, and exhausted. Loren and the other Dad had jerky and some other snacks and drinks for the boys. The boys where then told to call home and inform their parents that they where headed home to wait for them. Loren and Zach made it home about 2:30 after dropping off some of the scouts and explaining to sleepy parent what had happened. I of course couldn't sleep until I saw them in my house safe and sound. Not a lot of sleep for us last night.

The 5 mile hike turned out to be more like a 13 mile hike. Zach says that he is never going camping again. I don't blame him. He will be going camping again...just wait and see.
I am very grateful for the power of prayer and to my Heavenly Father for watching over all of the scouts.

One of those dayssssss

2010-07-14T11:42:00.000-06:00

Have you every had one of those days where things just don't go the way you would like? Well I have had a few of them right in a row.
First Hope got sick Sunday evening with a stomach bug. It isn't fun cleaning up small throw ups and diarrhea that makes out of the diaper. Monday Hope is still ill and I get a call from my mother saying that my Aunt Janice suddenly passed away from... doctors are unsure at this point. She went into a coma at her home and was found by her daughter the same day. My poor Uncle Bob is in a nursing home right now recovering from hip surgery and going through physical therapy to find out his wife would not make it through the day. Aunt Janice is my father's only sibling and I feel for him right now.
Tuesday...Hope is still ill. Parker fell from the monkey bars in our backyard and cut his head open. Luckily no stitches were needed. He just has a sore head.
Wednesday...Both Braden and Paige now have the stomach bug but hope is feeling better though still has the runs. I'm hoping that the kids are better tomorrow so the 2 older ones can make it to youth conference and I can make it to the funeral.
I think Loren need to give a few blessings tonight.

On the upside, I saw 2 deer prance through the field behind our house. What a gorgeous sight.

Camping at Cherry Hill

2010-07-13T12:41:00.001-06:00

We went camping at Cherry Hill July 5th - 8th. It was a blast. Not only can you camp there but also has a huge water park, miniature golf, rock climbing, areo ball, batting cages, and more. Here are some picture's of our fun.

Hope 10 Month's Old

2010-07-09T17:33:00.000-06:00

Wow I can't believe how fast time flies, Hope is 10 month's old.

She plays pat a cake and roll your arms

She loves to put her toys into other toys or containers and playing with her brothers.

*Loves water...swimming pool, sprinklers, bathes, etc.

*Army crawls and lately started what we call the stink bug crawl, her behind up in the air.

*She is trying to walk on her own, she has taken 3 steps without holding on to anything but is still a little hesitant.

* would rather eat real food, not baby food.

Sunny June

2010-07-01T14:14:00.000-06:00

The warmer weather has finally arrived, along with weeds and allergy's.
Trying to stay on top of the weeds this year has been almost impossible.
My poor vegetable garden has been over taken with the ugly things. But I'm not in a rush to clear them out, since most of my plants went to seed. I forgot just how much time a baby takes and the garden has been neglected. Oh well, I can always try again next year.

Braden is 16!!! He new summer clothes so Paige and I took him shopping. Loren and I took him to the Olive Garden for dinner and stopped and bought cake and ice cream for everyone at home. Braden didn't want any, he said he was too full to eat anymore. WHAT???? Braden full, that is a small miracle. He can get his drivers license in August so I have been out driving with him a few times. Next we will practice the great task of parallel parking.
Braden was ordained a Priest on Sunday and will now get the awesome responsibility of blessing the sacrament.

Paige and Zach were both in the Lehi parade. Paige was in both the Fri and Sat parades and Zach carried a big flag in the Saturday parade. Loren tried to get a pic of Zach with his phone but wasn't fast enough.

Paige went to girls camp and had a blast even though they had a big wind storm and things blew away, like a canopy. The camp leaders in our ward a great and had many activities to keep the girls busy.

We bought a summer pass to the outdoor Lehi pool. We try to go at least 2 times a week or more.

Hope wasn't sure about it the first time we went but she loves it now. She cries when we leave no matter how long we have been there.

Vent sesson

2010-06-09T15:28:00.000-06:00

1. Why is it that when you call costumer support they give you the wrong information.
I lost my I phone and replaced it with a $20 phone in hopes that
the i phone would show up. It did. But now how to get it reactivated? Loren called AT&T 3 times and then the apple store. We still didn't get it to work so I took it in to the AT&T store and they got it working for me.

2. Why do I have to deal with acne at my age. I am on medication to get rid of my acne so my face is looking really bad right now. It is supposed to clear up and be pretty someday. However, one of the side affects is hair loss. My hair is falling out by the hand full' s so I had it cute real short. It better grow back. I don't want to be bald.

3. why is it when one vehicle needs work done the other one does too. Cars!!

4. I really dislike rumors....
   Our dog Skip had to be put to sleep because of the court thing with a neighbor.....
   FALSE
   She is very much a live. She is living in a new home.
It was a hard decision to make but the best one, I think. She became very jealous after we brought Hope Home. Skip started acting out and not listening to me. And urinating in the house. After almost 6 months of this I just couldn't do baby and jealous dog. I really thought she (Skip) would get over it, but no. Hence the new home.

Okay I think I'm done!! Thanks for your listening ear.
LIFE IS GOOD!

Yeah for June!!

2010-06-09T15:01:00.001-06:00

We made it to June and things are finally starting to settle down. Although 3 of the kids had bronchitis last week. They are doing a lot better now.
It was fun having Loren's parent s visit for a week and getting together with family.
School is out for everyone but Braden. He is taking summer school because he wanted to.
Loren made it back to work after being home on disability for one month. He is feeling a whole lot better. He still has a long list of Don'ts for 9 more weeks.
I am working on getting the house cleaned. A never ending battle.

Hope turned 9 months old yesterday. she jabbers all the time and is learning real words. She says, ah done-for all done, Hi, Kiki-for kitty, mom, mama, dada, babba-for bottle, NO the best word ever-not. She was saying na na, ni ni, and then no,no. She got excited and says it way too much. She also says,"I did it". I know you think I'm crazy but she does. I think that they are just sounds that she some how gets in the right order over and over. She is trying to walk. She love's holding peoples fingers and walking. We all have sore backs. She let go of Paige's fingers today and almost did a face plant on the floor. Thank goodness Paige was fast and caught her.

Hopes hair is long and hangs in her face unless it is in a barrette or elastic. She has figured out how to pull them out of her hair. And I'm afraid that she might choke on them, so she got her first hair cute. It was hard to do, cause she wiggles and turns her head.

Teddy was hungry and put his head in the empty container we keep dog food in. He got in but couldn't get out. Braden saved him.

Other happenings in May

2010-06-02T22:49:00.000-06:00

I knew that there were probably things that I had forgotten to mention, so here they are.
Zachary, Ethan and Parker were all in the dance festival at school and did a great job. We were afraid that it might be canceled or changed to another day because we got 3 inches of snow the day before. But amazingly enough the weather was great.
We had a water leak in the ceiling of the theatre room and had to tear down part of the ceiling to find the leak and get rid of the parts that were wet. Loren's cousin is going to come fix it for us.
The microwave caught on fire, so we bought a new one. While opening the new one we noticed that the prongs on the plug were all bent over to one side, back to the store it went. And another one brought home. This one works.

Memorial Day

2010-06-02T10:22:00.002-06:00

We spent most of Monday with Loren's Parents and relatives. We all meet at the cemetery were Loren's Grand and Great grandparent are buried. We made them look amazing by cleaning the head stones and putting flowers and photo's around them. The children and I then took a walk to see the big monuments that are there and found many of the prophets head stones. It was exciting to see who was buried there and also humbling to see the people that have gone before us.

Loren's grandparents-The James

This monument is for Hyrum Smiths, Josephs brother. It tells a little about him and his life.

President Joseph F. smith

Wow he had many wives

Wife of Brigham Young

Wives of Wilford Woodruff

I thought this to be kind of funny...buried near this sight..
Father of Wilford Woodruff.

President Heber J. Grant

There are more Presidents of the church buried here, such as President Hinckley. But the cemetery is huge. We have decided to go another day this summer and find more.

We had a big family BBQ at the James. It was fun catching up with people and happenings in their lives.
Thanks for the great food and your home Mike and Sharon.

Crazy May days!!!

2010-05-30T16:48:00.001-06:00

May has been quit the crazy month at our house. Besides Loren's neck surgery we have had many other things going on.
Zachary had his 12th Birthday on the 20th. We took him out to eat at the Texas road house. He said that he needed to eat STEAK! He got a cockatiel that can already whistle tunes. He is trying to teach it how to talk. He keeps the door to his room closed because of our dogs and cat. He received the Priesthood last Sunday and was able to pass the sacrament today. He did a great job. I am so proud of him.

Zach's bird--Talon

Paige and Braden both had end of the year choir performances. Of course they were great!!

Braden was more like a musical about WW11 it was amazing, song, dance and speaking parts!!

Loren got video of both of them and thought that he got just photo's of Braden ( the video camera is new and is supposed to do both) but we didn't end up with photo's of Braden. I guess we will be reading the manual soon to figure the whole thing out.

Paige graduated from middle school, Zach graduated from elementary school Parker graduated from Kindergarten. My kids are all growing up way too fast. However I still feel the same age.

For Paige's graduation they had a few speakers and a slide show of all of the 8th graders. No walking across the stage. The kids thought that was the best part. After, they had punch and cookies. I forgot to take my camera, so no pic's. Zach's graduation the kids sang and also had a slide show. Loren took the video camera to this also, so we know there are no pic's of this either.

Kindergarten graduation is always a hoot. They kids are so excited to graduate and show off what they have learned during the year. Parker coached me for many days before on what was going to happen. He was always telling me, "Now remember, mom.......". I knew exactly what was going to happen and that after they were done in the gym that we were to follow them to their class for a treat and pictures.

I bought 2 trees from a nursery last week. They brought much bigger trees than I paid for, which was nice. However, digging the holes to plant them wasn't so nice. Braden and I planted dug the hole for the smaller tree. It took a few hours because of the hard clay. Loren decided that we could pay some young men in the ward to help dig the second hole. That would save me from more sore muscles and give the young men a chance to earn money for scout camp. The second hole went very quick. Six boys showed up and we had the tree planted in about 1 hour. Thanks boys for all of your hard work.

This is the smaller Tree. It is a Marshall Ash and is about 12 feet tall.

This is the larger tree. It is a Spit leaf weeping birch. The 3 men that brought it said that it weighed 700 pounds. It took the 3 of them took get it off the truck and into the backyard. I had them put it right by the place we were going to dig it so that we could just roll it in. They say not to roll them but what else could we do??

Loren went to his 3 week check up for his neck. He no longer has to wear a neck brace but is still very limited to what he can do. No golf this summer!!! He also can't swim ride a bike, lift heavy objects, dig big holes......the list goes on. He has another check up in August and hopefully all of the bans will be lifted. It is also his 43 Birthday today!!! He got a NOOK(electronic reader) so he will be doing a lot of reading!! He also bought himself an early Father's day gift. An infra RED BBQ'r. It is huge. It can grill up to 42 patties at a time. Can you guess what we will be doing this summer!

Hope learned to army crawl. Is isn't very fast yet but I'm sure it will happen soon enough. Lately she has fallen asleep in her high chair while eating. It is so funny. She is trying to do away with the morning nap but she really still needs one. She gets so cranky until she finally gives in and falls asleep.

Ethan is glad that school is over because now he can play more. He is crazy though, he still gets up early...6:30ish just to watch t.v.. What to do with him???hum.

Loren's parent arrived in town on Friday. We had 2 high school graduations in our extended families and they came for that and Birthdays. They will be here for 1 week.

I think that I have gotten everything in, but I may just come up with something that I didn't think of.

Our house seems to be settling down a little. It even is cleaner that it has been for weeks. I'm looking forward to June and some relaxation---maybe.

Loren will be fine!!!

2010-05-18T11:11:00.000-06:00

We spent all afternoon, yesterday, going between the doctors office and the hospital. Loren had doctors appointment at 2:30 where the doctor asked questions and checked him out, they needed to take out his stitches but we where scheduled for an MRI and needed to leave. So the doctor told us to bring the images of is MRI back with us right after it was finished and they would remove the stitches and then take a look at the MRI when they had time. So off we went to the hospital. Hope and I had a good time playing in the waiting room and watching all of the people come and go. They doctor decided that Loren just has a strained muscle and gave him a steroid to help reduce the swelling.
I'm hoping that things at my house calm down for a while.

What a Sunday!

2010-05-16T16:10:00.003-06:00

Loren tells me this morning that he is in a lot of pain and needs to go to the E.R. He told me that he had a horrific pain going from his neck down his left arm. And his pain med's didn't do anything for it. I quickly dressed and called my teaching partner to tell her that I may not make it to church. So, into the car we go, at 8:30 this morning. We went to the Utah Valley ER because that is were he had his surgery and they would have access to his files. They gave him a big old shot of pain medication in his behind to help with the pain. They then took him for a CT scan. The scan can back clear. They sent Loren home with a new prescription for a stronger pain med.. So now the hospital has sent orders for an MRI for tomorrow. We need to call them in the morning to see what time to come in. We also need to call his doctor to see if he wants to see him.

When we arrived back home, all of the children were still in their P.J.'s so I hurriedly got ready for church so I would make it in time to teach my primary lesson. I made it in plenty of time.

After church the primary Presidency came to talk to Zach and tell him fair well. He turn 12 this next Thursday. He also has a meeting with the scout leaders later today, to welcome him to scouts. Sometime today I need to make it to the pharmacy for Loren's med's.

Hope woke up 4 times last night and has been grumpy on and off today. I hope she isn't getting ill. And Boy I really want a nap.

May freezes bring....

2010-05-12T14:52:00.001-06:00

May freezes bring dead plants!! I really love the rain but the cold nights just need to leave.

May has always been a busy month at our house. We have 3 birthdays in our immediate family to celebrate, plus relatives. There is also Mother's Day, the last day of school and Memorial day. To add to it, Loren's surgery, Zach's graduation from 6th grade, Parker's graduation from Kindergarten and Paige's commencement from 8th grade. And I'm sure other things will pop up.

Loren was able to come home from the hospital Thursday afternoon. The doctor asked him if he wanted to go home or stay. Of course Loren said he wanted to go home. I don't blame him. Hospitals are noisy and nurses are always checking on you. But, hello, maybe the doctor should have asked me how I felt about it.
I don't mind taking care of Loren but our bedroom is upstairs and all of the entertainment is on the main floor or in the basement. The whole idea of Loren going up and down the stairs not being able to see his feet and what may be on the floor really makes me nervous. Plus the medication he is on that makes him sleepy. We have made it 1 week without a fall, and it better stay that way.
Loren is on the mend. He stays awake longer during the day and is up and about. He has a doctors apt. next week to remove stitches and see how things look.
Ethan had his 9th Birthday and a party on May 4th. It was a blast!! Here a re some pic's of his party.

We had a contest to see which teem could build the tallest tower of balloons...the towers ended up the same height!!

This tower was tall but wouldn't stay up by it's self.

We also played hot potato with a real hot potato and threw darts at balloons.

Ethan gota new bike. He however thinks it is too big. We need to have him practice.

Hope is now eight months old, weighs 22 1/2 pounds and is 28 inches long. I am glad that she has slowed down. She is so chubby and cute.

She has figured out that if she rolls over more than once, she goes places. She loves her new jumper.

She waves, eats solid foods, stands holding on to things, plays ball, pulls the dogs hair, and is busy all of the time.

Loren's Surgery

2010-05-05T15:15:00.000-06:00

We woke up at 4:30 a.m. to make it to the hospital by 5:30. Loren made it in to surgery by 8:20. All went well. He was in a lot of pain until they came and gave him a shot. If all goes well the doctor said he may be released to go home sometime tomorrow.
Heading back to the hospital and I think I need a nap.

A blustery night and day!!!

2010-04-28T11:48:00.001-06:00

Okay, I know the wind is bad in Lehi but Holy Cow. Our new tramp (complete with the net inclosure) blew over two fences and landed in our new neighbors backyard. Loren went down to look at it and it is in a few pieces. He is going to wait for the crazy wind to stop before he goes over and takes it apart so we can drag it back home. I'm just thankful that it didn't do any damage to the neighbors property. Or that it didn't hurt anyone. We didn't even realize it was missing until the Staggs called us and told us where it was. They said that they knew it was ours because they had just watched theirs blow away!!
Braden walked out the front door to go to school and almost got knocked down so he came back inside and had a hard time closing the door because the wind was blowing so hard.

I'm glad that I planted my cucumber starts in pots because it is snowing yet again. I had the boys bring the pots inside. I finally planted most of my veggy garden. Parker and Ethan helped me and say we should do more. I agree, but we have to wait a few more weeks to plant warm weather plants-like tomatoes.

Zachary went on a five mile hike with scouts last week and loved it. Here a pic's of him.

(maybe) What have they done to my blog now??

Last night we had a talents program for Relief Society. People brought projects that they were working on or had finished. It was great to see all of the talented people in our ward. And see hidden talents that we didn't know about.
I received a phone call a few hours before to remind me that I had signed up to sing. I had forgotten, and my allergies are acting up so I asked if I could dance instead. So I did a Hula dance. The fun-ist kind of dance there is (in my opinion). I haven't done the Hula for a long time and today my body is letting me know it. I think I need to start dancing more, it is a great work out.
We all have talents, some are more visible than others. We were sent to earth with many and we just need to explore and find out what they are... I love trying new things. Some have been disasters and others have turned out to be things I love to do!!! I even have talents that have been neglected that need to be pulled out and polished up again. What are your talents? What are things that look fun? Go for it, try something new today.

Loren's neck

2010-04-24T13:48:00.001-06:00

Loren is having neck surgery on May 5th. He will be in the hospital for 3 days and then home out of commission for at least 3 weeks. I'm feeling sorry for him already. And what am I going to do with him for all of that time to keep him entertained???

Braden had choir festival this month and they received a 1-. Braden has been driving in the neighborhood and to church with Loren. We need to get him to the range.
Paige also had choir festival had they received a 1. They are judged 1-5, 1 being the best. Paige might be singing either a solo or in a duet her next performance.
All of the children are doing CRT testing in school and can't wait for school to get out.
Ethan and Zach's birthdays are coming up soon and they both keep asking me if I've been shopping for them yet? Zach says it is so he can sneak and see what he is getting.

Zach completed the NOVA program at school and they had a certification program for them at school.
Shay Goulding ( women's volleyball couch at BYU) came and spoke to the kids about being the best that they could be, and to never let anyone tell you, that you can't do something.

We bought a new trampoline last Saturday. We put it together in about 2 hours. We then took the old one down Monday as part of FHE. We have had the old one for 10 years and it was falling apart. It was so bad that I wouldn't let the kids on it. They all thought that they were dying, not being able to jump.

Paige decided to try a new hair style today....here it is...

My dear little Parker, informed me, the other day, that we need 7 kids in our family. I asked him,"why"?
He said"so I can know if Hope is really the cutest baby ever". I told him that we didn't need to have another baby to figure that out. He can just look at all of the baby's he sees and figure it out. What would I do with another one? Oh my, children.

April-Easter and Spring break

2010-04-12T09:59:00.001-06:00

Easter was a blast as always. We had an Easter egg, hunt dinner and fun with relatives at Grandpa and Grandma R's. The kids and women chatted and played games while the young and old men went to the Priesthood meeting.
Paige and I were able to attend the Women's meeting at the Conference Center the Saturday before. The messages were great and the spirit was strong. Paige had a few friends in the choir and it was fun looking for them. Note to self...always check what floor you park before you get off the elevator. Yes Paige and I had a blast going up and down the stairs at the parking garage until we found the level we we're parked on. Good thing that we were both happy and not in a hurry. We still had to wait in a long line to get out of the parking garage.

The Easter bunny hides the baskets at our house and the kids have to find them in the morning. It is fun hearing the kids yell, I found one but it isn't mine. The rest of the kids then go running to see if it belongs to them.

It was great to listen to conference and enjoy feel the sweet spirit it always brings. The kids played conference bingo and color the ties.

For spring break we went to a big cabin in Kamas. It slept up to 21 people. Their were many th
ings to keep us entertained.

Ethan went sledding right into the mud and fell off the sled. Yes, he got muddy and says he is never going sledding again.

Hope turned 7 months old while we were there.

She is getting so big and heavy. She is our rolly polly baby. She weighs 21.3 lbs.

She loves 3rd foods, cheerio's, fries, crackers, bread and anything we give her.

She rolls over both directions but doesn't do it a lot.She reaches for people when she wants them. Her favorite toy is a cell phone. We have switched her to the next car seat. She loves being able to see out the window.

Hope's 6 month's

2010-03-16T11:48:00.001-06:00

Loren took Hope in for her 6 month check up last friday. I had the stomach flue so it was cancel or have Loren save the day. Zach also went and got his imm's for 7th grade. Wow, kids grow up to fast.

Thanks, Aunt Teri for the cute matching skirts!

Loren said Hope was very happy and talkative with the nurses and the doctor. Of course all of that changed when she got her shots. Hope now weighs 19 lbs (96% )and is 27 1/2 inches long (98%).

P.S. Loren has an appointment in mid April with a specialist to talk about surgery on his neck.

How time flies!!

2010-03-06T16:39:00.001-07:00

February has gone by too fast. We were all sick during the month. I had a sinus infection. Hope had an ear infection. Everyone (except Braden) had a cold and Paige and Zach ended up with bronchitis.

Loren has had a bad neck for a few years and it has really been bothering him lately. He has been to therapy for it and to the chiropractor. He went into the doctors again and they did an MRI on it. They found that he has 3 herniated disc's and that the center of one is small and pinching his nerve. They had him go to the hospital to get a cordizone injection which is supposed to take away the pain for about 6 months or more....it didn't work. So he know has an appointment to meet with specialist to talk about having surgery on his neck.

The 3 boys in elementary school had big valentine party's at school. They each decorated a box to put their valentines in.

Parker made a cute heart to wear. It was a present to his parents...

Hope is growing like a weed. She weighs 18 pounds now. And she is wearing 6 to 9 months cloths. She wore a size 12 month dress and it was a little tight around. She is such a cute chunk.
She learned to say dada and Loren is in heaven. The other kids learned to say dada before learned mama. But Hope has been saying mama fore a few months. She loves to scratch things and see what kind of sounds they make and then she squeals. She was doing it at church last week so Loren had to take her out. She has learned to reach for things and for people. Loren waved to her this morning and she waved back. I wonder if she'll do it again. She sits up pretty well but still tips over. She giggles when we wash her hands with a wash cloth. And loves to play in the running water in the sink. she also loves buttons and music. She will be 6 months old in 2 days. How time flies.

Playing the piano with Braden

and Paige

and Zach

Learning all about the computer with Dad

Hope is 5 months old

2010-02-08T19:13:00.001-07:00

Hope is 5 months old today.
She is growing to fast and learning new things every day. She can sit up by herself for a while. But she gets excited and throws herself backwards or falls over to the side.

She has learned a new game...throw your toys on the floor so someone will come and give them back. She has learned to make things work on her activity center and turn herself around in it.

She loves to talk and make sounds. She makes noises with her mouth closed, Parker calls this hum talking. She has learned to blow rasberries and pucker her lips. We all think that she is so darn cute when she does it. She tries to sit up in her bouncer chair and her car seat. She gets mad when she can't. If you hear her screaming it is because she has a temper and is just a little spoiled.

I love that it is getting warmer outside. Tulips and daffadils are poping up in my garden. Spring fever is here.

We enjoyed the Super Bowl yesterday. Okay, only a few watched it but we all enjoyed the food. Loren found some yummy recipes to makeand he made a few Saturday and a few Sunday. We all ate way to much...yummy food. It was interesting at our house to say the least,
Loren was voting for the Saints and Zach was for the Colt's. There was a lot of cheers and boo's at the same time. The rest of us didn't care who won. We watched bits and pieces of it. It was nice when it was over...quieter.

A very spiritual few days

2010-01-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

We were able to bless Hope in church on Sunday. Loren gave the sweetest blessing. He had me crying.

We are so grateful to all the the friends and family that came to support us. I thought that they might have to open the over flow because the chapel was very packed. They didn't though.

After the 3 block meetings we gathered back at our house to visit and eat. I loved catching up with people that we haven't been in contact with for a while.

Loren's parents flew in from Arizona late Saturday afternoon. They stayed until Wednesday morning. It was great having them here. Hope had to warm up to Marcia before she would let her hold her. It didn't take very long and Hope was talking and smiling at her.

Hope has learned how to squeal very loud. It is so darling. I admit, she gets a lot of attention when she does it. And many laughs. Although church and the temple aren't the best places to be happy loud.

On Tuesday we where able to go to the temple and have Hope sealed to us. I can not express the great joy and love that was felt there. All of the children were able to attend and witness the sealing. I cried when all of the children came into the room dressed in white, looking like angels. What a blessing it is to have the gospel in our lives and the blessings of the temple. We were able to get a family photo of us all in white. This will be a day that will always be remembered by us and the friends and family that joined us.Thanks to all who took time out of their busy live to be with us.

Paige's choir sang The Star spangled banner at the Utah flash game on Monday. It sounded awesome. They sang occapla. We were able to get tickets for the family. So we went and watched the game up to half time and then came home. Parker caught a shirt that they were throwing to the fans. He is so excited about it, he wore it to bed. Great job Paige!!

Trying to keep up!

2010-01-14T13:32:00.001-07:00

My computer died over Christmas break and so I haven't posted anything for awhile. Loren bought me a Mac. I have never used one before and so I am still getting to know how it works. It is pretty sad when your eight year old tells you what do next and how to open up files. All of the children work on mac's at school. I guess it is good someone knows how to work this thing. I don't have many things installed yet, so no pictures this time...sorry!

Alright, I got the photo's working!!

We have been busy people for the last while. We had a great Christmas vacation. We went Grandpa and Grandma R's for Christmas eve. The whole family gets together for dinner and to act out the Christmas story. The children had a lot of fun. Of course they couldn't wait to open up the gift from their cousins and from the grandparents. Ethan and Parker were so excited for Santa to come, they asked if they could go to bed at 8:00 p.m.. Of course we said,"YES"knowing that they wouldn't get to sleep right away.

Loren's parents sent the boys Christmas gift in the mail because it was big and they had ordered it online. It was a huge double basketball hoop with the net that goes around it. It is also electronic and keeps track of scores and has different games to play on it. There was only a LITTLE bit of building to get it together. It took Braden and myself 2 1/2 hours to get the thing put together. It had over 50 wing nuts-our thumbs hurt by the time we were done. Grandpa what were you thinking? No, the boys love it. Paige and her friends have even been found playing with it.

For our New Years eve tradition, we ate soup,cheese and crackers ( the tradition is to eat oyster stew but I'm the only one that likes it, so we ate 3 kinds of soup) by candle light. We played boards games and watched movies until midnight. Poor Parker feel asleep 5 minutes before midnight, he just couldn't make it. The next day we went to a hotel that has an inside water park and a huge slide that is inclosed. The children enjoyed playing and swimming. We went to the movies and shopped at the mall. FUN!
Hope and I caught colds Saturday and weren't feeling so well on Sunday. We were both still ill on Thursday, so I hauled us both in to the doctors. We had sinus infections and put on med's. We are both doing a lot better now.

The children are back in school and Braden and Paige have started a new semester with new classes. Braden has Driver's ED now. Every one watch out. Paige was invited to dance with a group of girls for an assembly at school. She had to get up many early mornings for practice. And had to practice on Saturday, as well. I went to watch her perform, she did a great job.
I have finally finished making Hope's blessing/sealing dress and head band. I made it a size bigger than I thought she would need and tried it on her. It just fits. If she grows to much in the next 2 weeks, I will have to move the buttons over.

I took Hope to her 4 month check and she is now a whopping 15 pounds and 11 ounces. She is 25 3/4 inches long. She is a cute chubby little girl. The shots she got gave her a sore leg and a fever for 2 days. I felt really bad for her and held her most of the time. She is now back to her happy self. After her three month check, she started sleeping great through the night. She now sleeps anywhere from 8 to 10 hours. I love it. However, she takes short naps during the day. But I'm not complaining.

I made invites to Hopes blessing and sealing and finally got them out the beginning of this week. We bought new white shirts and ties for all of the boys and a new white dress for Paige. We thought that they should have something to keep for remembrance of this very special day. The children had temple interviews with the Bishop and a member of the Stake Presidency. We are all very excited about going to the temple together to have Hope sealed to us.

I however, am not excited about going to pre court because of our not so nice neighbors. I honestly don't think this whole thing is over our dog. They have some kind of vendetta against us and just like to try and make our lives miserable. Pray for them! And us!!

Winter Fun!!

2009-12-22T19:25:00.003-07:00

This month has been a busy one. Shopping for Christmas presents,performances, and Hope's adoption finalization.
I think that I am done shopping for Christmas. I hope, anyways. It isn't fun finding out that you have forgotten something, and have to do last minute shopping. I ordered most of Christmas online this year. It has been fun getting boxes at the door. Loren's office is filled with boxes.
All of the children were in a school performance. Zach, Ethan and Parker were in the Jingle Jam at school and sang Christmas songs. Loren got pic's and video of them. So I will have to post them later.
Paige and Braden both had choir performances that we attended. Their choirs did a great job. Paige performed at the Mall and a few other places.

This morning was Hope's adoption finalization. We were able to do it via telephone. Our awesome friend Chris Olsen is a notary and came to help with the swearing in and signing of papers. It only took about 7 minutes to complete all of it. Hope is now legally a part of our family. I am so over joyed and humbled at the same time. I thank God for letting this sweet spirit be a part of our lives. Susan (birth mother) still keeps in touch with us and it is good to hear how she is doing. This to has been a miracle in and of it's self. We were told at the being of being matched with Susan that she did not want to meet us and that she would never write to us. As you know, when we arrived in Florida it all changed. We where able to meet with both the birth Father and Susan. I keep all of the letters that they send so Hope will know a little about her birth parents and that they LOVE her.

Merry Christmas to all! I bought cards but didn't get any of them mailed.

I love this time of year. Christ is fore front of my mind. And people think of others and help them out.
Hope has found her fingers and like to suck on them. She also likes playing with her blankets and burb clothes. She can grab the toys on her toy bar but gets made when she can't get them into her mouth. She thinks that everything should go into her mouth already. We are in trouble when she is mobile. She is the the happiest first thing in the morning. She wakes up and plays in her crib and talks. None of our other children have done that. They all woke up crying to be feed. When I go in her room to get her, she is all smiles and giggles. We started feeding her rice cereal this month. She loves it. She cries if I don't get it in her mouth fast enough.

We will be Blessing Hope on Janruary 24th . And we will be having her Sealed to us on Janruary 26th. Look for invitations-coming soon- I hope!

Braden is on the back row second from right. The lighting was dark and I was far away.

Caught a smile on camera-finally!!

3 months old

first time eating rice cereal

Hope 3 months old

2009-12-08T12:01:00.000-07:00

Hope is three months old today. Boy, how time flies. She still thinks that she needs to eat every two hours during the day. But she is actually sleeping at night now. She sleeps anywhere from 6 to 8 hours at a time. It is so nice to get sleep. I'm jumping for joy...can you see me?
Hope has learned so much this last month. She has a fake little cough she does ,when she wants attention. She has discovered her hands and tries to suck on her fingers. They don't stay in her mouth very long and she gets frustrated and cries that they left. She is holding toys and reaching for things. She holds her head up quit well now and makes fun baby sounds. She has the cutest smiles but we can't seem to get any on photo's. As soon a the camera comes out the smiles leave. When the camera is put away, the smiles come back. She is so funny that way. Last night we gave her baby cereal for the first time. She loved it. She didn't even do the spit out thing, where half of it comes back out of their mouth. She just ate it like she had done it a hundred times before. She cried when we took it away and tried to give her a bottle. She loves her food. You can probably tell by her chubby cheecks and the3 rest of her. She now weighs 13 pounds. WOW.

Loren's father had quadriple bi-pass surgery and is home now recovering. We are hoping that he will be well enough to travel when we have Hope sealed to us, sometime in Janruary.
This last week has been a stressful one for me. Coming home to find our dear neighbor had passed away. Lorens father in the hospital and Loren in Florida, really kept me busy and worrying about things that I really didn't have much control over. I helped prpared food for the funeral but was unable to attend. Hope had a bad cold all week and I didn't dare leave her with anyone. She was pretty grumpy. Also, Paige had a choir performance, I went to it and took grumpy with me. Paige and her group did well. So did the other groups that performed. I love Christmas music. I love the Christmas season and remember to put Christ in my life.

Thanksgiving fun and then worry and sorrow

2009-11-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

We went to spend Thanksgiving with Loren's parents in Phoenix Arizona. It is an 11 1/2 hour drive (including bathroom breaks and lunch). We all got restless about the las hour from sitting so long. Hope did very well. She had had enough of her car seat 1/2 before we got there. She did the same on the way home. However, she was quit grumpy the day after we arrived and today. I guess thats her way of getting us back.

We had a great time with the Aunts, Uncles, and cousins that also live there. They have grown in the last 6 months since they where at our house.Ethan and Hailey were so cute playing and reading together. The younger boys played all kinds of games together and kept themselves busy. All of the children enjoyed going to the children's museum and to the zoo lights.

Paige, Braden and Zach played a game of football. What is Thanksgiving without some kind of football game? Loren got pictures on his camera, so I will post them later. Crazy Zach decided to try out the swimming pool. He jumped off of the diving board, came up shouting, "IT'S COLD", and quickly jumped out and headed for the hot tub. The silly thing is he was warned that the water was only 76 degrees. He even waded in the shallow end before jumping in. Zach, what will we do with you? All of my children loved spending time in the big hot tub and so did Loren and I. It was great to get away from cold Utah for a short while.

Loren's mother was so great at preparing The Thanksgiving feast and also inviting everyone to dinner every night while we were there. I'm sure that she is in need of a big rest. Thanks, Marcia, you are amazing.

Aunt Gwenn recently purchased her first house. It looked small from the outside but was big on the inside. She even has a pool in her backyard. She also has a energetic dog that my kids liked to play with.

Uncle Nathan and Aunt Amanda's family also purchased a new home. It was fun to see. Their family room is set up to be every childs dream. Toys, games, books and more toys. I can't wait to see what it looks like when they get the new paint finished. They have the greeniest grass in Arizona, I believe. Uncle Brian is the children's favorite. I don't know why. They all just love him and get along with him.

Thanks family for the great Thankgiving Holiday.

Uncle Nathan gave us a tour of the T.V. station that he works for. And let the children try being news anchors and weather persons. What fun!! Thanks Nathan for the tour.

When we arrived home, Loren called his parents to let them know that we arrived safetly, only to find that his father had had a heart attack right after we left Sunday Morning. He is scheduled for a triple bypass this afternoon. We are praying for you, Dad.

Also, Our neighbors came over to let us know that our wonderful neighbor was killed in a motorbike accident on Saturday. His wife is ecpecting their third child in the next two weeks. We are in shock and sorry. She is in our prayers. We love their family so much. Her husband will be missed by many.